Close X
Sunday, November 24, 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

    It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a drone! Looking for gadgets at CES? Don't forget to look up

    It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a drone! Looking for gadgets at CES? Don't forget to look up
    When you're searching for the hottest gadgets on the floor of this year's consumer electronics show, be sure to look up. For the first time ever, there's an International CES section dedicated to drones. More than 20 companies are showing off dozens of different models.

    It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a drone! Looking for gadgets at CES? Don't forget to look up

    Playstation 4 Sells Over 4.1 Mn Units In Holiday Season

    Playstation 4 Sells Over 4.1 Mn Units In Holiday Season
    Despite the unavailability of sales data of its major competitors, Microsoft and Nintendo, the figures reported by Sony suggest that the Playstation 4 again dominated the gaming console market for the second consecutive year.

    Playstation 4 Sells Over 4.1 Mn Units In Holiday Season

    Smartphone Swipe To Unlock Your Suitcase

    Smartphone Swipe To Unlock Your Suitcase
    US-based start-up Digipas has launched a "smart" lock that allows users to open or lock their luggage with just a swipe of their smartphone screens.

    Smartphone Swipe To Unlock Your Suitcase

    Top Fitness Apps Not Satisfying

    Top Fitness Apps Not Satisfying
    The inaugural "2015 State Of The U.S. Health & Fitness Apps Economy" ARC 360 report published by Applause looked at 39 health and fitness apps and 28 medical apps.

    Top Fitness Apps Not Satisfying

    An App To Delete Inappropriate Text Messages

    An App To Delete Inappropriate Text Messages
    If you have sent some inappropriate text messages to your friend and want to delete it from his/her device permanently, a new app called Strings could help you do so.

    An App To Delete Inappropriate Text Messages

    Turn Your Skin Into A Smartphone Display

    Turn Your Skin Into A Smartphone Display
     A wearable device that projects the image of a Android tablet on your skin will be a reality soon. Once worn on your wrist, a small light beam on the device, known as the Cicret Bracelet, would project your Android homepage right on your forearm.

    Turn Your Skin Into A Smartphone Display