Everyone shares photos online these days. I’ve done it for years – on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even on MySpace (remember MySpace?) when that was a thing. From pulling pranks on my buddies to fun nights out at our favorite bar, I’ve got years’ worth of photos posted online for all to see.
When I got married, I was proud for everyone to see photos of my wife and I said “I do.” Awesome shots from our honeymoon in Mexico followed, getting lots of likes and well-wishes from close friends and not-so-close acquaintances. We’ve never been super-private people and were happy for others to share our adventures.
That all changed when we became parents. While we posted pictures of our daughter and then, after he arrived, our son, I didn’t feel as good about sharing them. Could our social media accounts be hacked by people we didn’t know? What of the people that are currently on my list? I know probably 25% of them in real life, but the rest are friends of friends or people with shared interests whom I’ve never met.
Could some creep get revealing information about our kids or their location through the photo data, or maybe pass the photos around online?
As a parent in this social media age, this weighs heavy on my mind. It turns out that I’m not the only one. Cartridge Save did a survey and found that 83% of the parents who responded feel concerned about sharing photos of their kids online.
With those kinds of numbers, will the traditional method of printing out (and actually valuing) our pictures experience a resurgence? Time will tell. As for me, I’m actually starting to miss the good old days of flipping through a photo album of 25 fantastic photos instead of flipping through a phone with mediocre ones scattered throughout. That, combined with the safety issues, has given me a real reason to rethink my photo priorities.
It’s understandable to be concerned about sharing photos of your children online. While social media can be a great way to stay connected with friends and family, it’s important to be mindful of the potential risks involved.
One way to mitigate these risks is to be selective about who you share your photos with. You can use the privacy settings on your social media accounts to control who can see your posts, and you can also choose to only share photos with a small group of trusted friends and family members.
Another option is to consider using a photo-sharing app or website that allows you to create a private album that invited guests can only access. This can give you more control over who sees your photos and provide an additional security layer.
Another option to add an extra layer of protection to your online photos is to use an online photo editor. These tools allow you to edit and enhance your photos before sharing them online, and many of them offer features that can help you protect your family’s privacy. For example, an online photo editor can blur out faces or remove identifying information from the photos. This can help to reduce the risk of someone using your photos to gather information about your family or to stalk you online. There are many different online photo editors available, so it’s worth exploring the options and finding one that meets your needs.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to share photos of your children online is personal and should be based on your comfort level and the level of risk you are willing to accept. If you decide to share photos, it’s important to be mindful of the potential risks and take steps to protect your family’s privacy.
