To Share or Not to Share?

From the desk of Katie Faragher, CPNPFacebook, InstaGram, Snapchat, and Twitter have millions of users worldwide.  Social media websites have given people an opportunity to share moments of their life through text and photographs.  As social media websites continue to grow in popularity, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) voices concern regarding the parent ’s right to share and the child’s right to privacy.  Experts discussed pros and cons of social media sharing at an AAP conference held in October 2016. Positive aspects of sharing on social media include emotional support and practical advice for parents.  Caution was advised regarding the permanency of sharing personal stories and photographs.  One concern is that a child may encounter cyberbullying from others who are able to retrieve information from past social media postings (an example given was a parent discussing struggles with potty training and a future employer or middle school bully being able to find this information).  Another concern discussed was easy accessibility and ability to reproduce children ’s photographs.  Disturbingly, an Australian study revealed that half of all photographs featured on pedophilia websites were stolen from social media.  These pictures were normal pictures and did not contain nudity.  Kidnappers and identify thieves can also take information retrieved from social media and use this to their advantage. The Uni...
Source: Pediatric Health Associates - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: news