I have three boys, 6, 3 1/2, and 21 months. I use Facebook and Instagram as vehicles to share fun moments and important milestones with my family and friends. So, last week when my 3 1/2 year old son Brody swam (no swimmies!) for the first time, I had to share a video on facebook (crazy proud mom). The video also included my oldest son jumping into the pool.
A few days later, my oldest son had a friend over. He mentioned to Brody that he saw the video of him swimming on his mom’s phone. My six year old was furious with me. I explained that I shared the video on Facebook for my friends to see. He said he did not want that video on Facebook because “his jump was not awesome”. He was embarrassed, and mad at the age of 6. His response surprised me and made me think….
I have taken careful consideration of my privacy features on Facebook, so that only my friends see my content. At what point do I need to consider the privacy of my children, and what they may or may not want shared which will live online indefinitely?
What if one of my children becomes a politician, will his rival find the picture I have of him peeing in my backyard and use it publicly to embarress him? Or will our society be so used to the lack of privacy that these images will no longer be of value? Will our children grow up thinking it is ok that their private life is essentially public? Or will I be in big trouble if I do not find a way to delete these photo’s now!