Close X
Sunday, December 1, 2024
ADVT 
Tech

Do Parents Share Excessively About Kids On Social Media?

Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 Mar, 2015 02:37 PM
    You love to share the pics and videos of your kid's antics on social media. But are you ending up sharing too much? A lot of parents say yes.
     
    University of Michigan National Poll on Children's Health found that more than half of the mothers and one-third of fathers are discussing child health and parenting on social media.
     
    Nearly three quarters of parents said social media makes them feel less alone.
     
    But how far is too far when it comes to crossing the boundaries between public and private life?
     
    "By the time children are old enough to use social media themselves, many already have a digital identity created for them by their parents," said Sarah J. Clark from the University of Michigan.
     
    "On one hand, social media offers today's parents an outlet they find incredibly useful, on the other hand, some are concerned that over sharing may pose safety and privacy risks for their children," Clark added.
     
    When sharing parenting advice on social media, common topics included getting kids to sleep (28 percent), nutrition and eating tips (26 percent), discipline (19 percent), daycare/preschool (17 percent) and behaviour problems (13 percent), according to the poll that surveyed a national sample of parents of children aged zero to four.
     
    However, parents also recognised potential pitfalls of sharing information about their children, with nearly two-thirds concerned someone would learn private information about their child or share photos of their child.
     
    More than half also worried that when older, their child may be embarrassed by what was shared.
     
    "There's potential for the line between sharing and over sharing to get blurred. Parents may share information that their child finds embarrassing or too personal when they are older but once it's out there, it's hard to undo," Clark said.
     
    "The child won't have much control over where it ends up or who sees it," Clark added.
     
    Three-quarters of parents polled also pointed to "oversharenting" by another parent, including parents who shared embarrassing stories, gave information that could identify a child's location, or posted photos perceived as inappropriate.
     
    Stories of sharenting gone wrong have been rampant, with one of the most extreme examples included a phenomenon called "digital kidnapping" reported earlier this year.
     
    Parents were shocked to learn that strangers were "stealing" their kids online photos and resharing them as if the children were their own.
     
    In other cases, children's photos have become the target of cruel jokes and cyber bullying.
     
    Among the most notorious cases in recent years was that of a Facebook group that made fun of "ugly" babies.

    MORE Tech ARTICLES

    Facebook most preferred social networking medium for urban teens'

    Facebook most preferred social networking medium for urban teens'
    Despite a drop in the percentage, Facebook continues to be the preferred social networking playground for teenagers in India's metros and other big cities, according to a survey.

    Facebook most preferred social networking medium for urban teens'

    App that locks kids' gadgets for family meal

    App that locks kids' gadgets for family meal
    Do your kids spend dinner time playing with ipads or smartphones? Try this app that automatically locks their gadgets at meal times to get the family back to the dinner table.

    App that locks kids' gadgets for family meal

    App to help keep 'traveller's diarrhoea at bay

    App to help keep 'traveller's diarrhoea at bay
    For those who are gastronomically adventurous, travelling is hardly any fun without savouring the succulent local dishes and drinks.

    App to help keep 'traveller's diarrhoea at bay

    Did you find your spouse on Facebook or Twitter?

    Did you find your spouse on Facebook or Twitter?
    If you got married in the last few years, chances are that you may have found your life partner on a social networking site such as Twitter and Facebook - without you actually realising it.

    Did you find your spouse on Facebook or Twitter?

    'Smart' gloves to help soldiers scale vertical walls

    'Smart' gloves to help soldiers scale vertical walls
     If you have seen the movie "Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol", you can not forget the scene where actor Tom Cruise scales and swings from world's tallest building Burj Khalifa in Dubai wearing adhesive gloves.

    'Smart' gloves to help soldiers scale vertical walls

    Four tomatoes a day may reduce kidney cancer risk

    Four tomatoes a day may reduce kidney cancer risk
    Love tomatoes? You have more reasons to relish them as a tomato-rich diet may lower kidney cancer risk, especially in case of women.

    Four tomatoes a day may reduce kidney cancer risk