Image via Flickr by OlgaTsar
Your children are your pride and joy, and it’s no wonder that you want to share photos of them across social media.
From photos of the first day of school to birthdays and other milestones, your child is part of your life story as well.
However, even careful parents can expose their kids to dangerous situations by sharing too much online, which is commonly known as sharenting.
Here are three ways to keep your kids and their images safe when you’re sharing them on social media.
Create a Private Group on Facebook and Other Channels
Your photos don’t have to live on your timeline or in public albums. If you’re worried about sharing photos of your children at a young age, consider creating a private group on Facebook to share images, videos, and updates.
You can either create this group exclusively for family members or limit which friends you invite to see the pictures.
Many people have friends and followers on social media that they’ve only met once or twice, and even people who they have never met.
You never know who you might have added or who has changed from high school.
By creating a private group, you ensure that the only people who see photos of your kids are close friends and family who you can trust.
Regularly Check Your Privacy Settings
Social media pages are constantly updating their privacy options to give users more control over what people can and can’t see.
The best way to stay on top of these settings is to be informed. Follow the social media pages themselves (for example, the Facebook News page on Facebook) and read about updates to privacy policies.
You might discover an update that makes it easier to keep your child’s photos safe. You can use an image editor to create awesome pictures of your kids.
Many bloggers also track social media updates and share best practices whenever there are big changes.
For example, check out this guide for sharing photos of your kids for the latest updates and ideas for keeping your kids safe.
Set Up Their Own Accounts That You Manage
Some people grow a large group of friends on social media for business purposes.
By having hundreds of friends and followers, entrepreneurs can get new clients and network digitally.
In this case, severely limiting the people you add and what they see can hurt your business prospects.
If this is the case, consider creating a profile for your younger kids who aren’t able to have an active social media presence just yet.
If you’re managing their account, you can set all of the strictest privacy settings and only accept friends or followers that you know.
This way the only people who see their information or photos are people you approve of. While your account is open and available for business contacts, your kids can stay safe and out of the spotlight.
You don’t have to keep all of your best photos of your kids off Facebook and other social media sites, but you do need to be careful.
Too much oversharing and too few privacy protections can make your family vulnerable to online predators.
About The Author:
Jennine Grasso is a multifaceted writer with experience in instructional guides, long-form articles, and shorter advertising copy for digital, print, and e-mail marketing campaigns. I have a passion for writing and strong research skills.