Just Another Reason NOT To Post Photos Of Your Kids On Social Media

I've written before on The Geek Parent (where this article first appeared)  about how parents should never post pictures of their kids on Facebook (read that article here and The Washington Post also has this great article on why this should be on your social media list of “no-nos"). But it goes further than just Facebook. Another issue, this time shedding light on Instagram, has been discovered:

THE PRACTICE OF ROLE-PLAYING WITH PHOTOS OF CHILDREN THAT ARE STOLEN FROM SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

Here's how it works:

Social media users, many of them teenage girls, steal images of babies and kids off the Internet (primarily off Instagram), give the children new names and claim that the kids are theirs. Others comment on the photo as the new “parent” gives details of the child's life with some obsessing over breast-feeding and potty training. Individuals even pretend to be virtual adoption agencies where prospective “parents” can request babies and kids they'd like to adopt (for example, “I'm looking for a little 5-year boy, with olive skin who is of slight build and is feisty.”). The fake adoption agency then finds the person a photo, without the permission of the child's real parents.

SOME DEVIANT ROLE-PLAYERS INDULGE IN FANTASIES ABOUT PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE

Sure, many of the comments on the photos are innocuous (“Aww, how cute!”), however, some of the role-players are downright disturbing. The website EssentialBaby.com reported that one Canadian mother found pictures of her baby in a role-playing game and comments were about how the child looked “ugly and disabled.” It gets worse. Some deviant role-players indulge in fantasies about physical and sexual abuse.

So think your photos are safe because of your security settings? Think again. Most IT security people agree that there's only one way to truly ensure that your Internet content stays safe: don't put it out there in the the first place!

THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE SURE YOUR PHOTOS ARE SAFE IS TO NOT UPLOAD THEM TO THE INTERNET IN THE FIRST PLACE

To read more about the practice of role-playing with stolen baby photos, read this article from FastCompany.com which also gives Instagram's response to this truly creepy practice.

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Note:  The Geek Parent's Editor, Kat Mahoney, left a fascinating comment to my article:

"On a side note, there are also safer ways you can post photos of your children without feeling like the whole world is watching. First and foremost is that you can have a private account, which does not allow any followers or viewers unless you approve. This is for any social media network. I have many friends in the security industry that work at Microsoft and if someone is smart enough to hack into your account via private settings, they aren’t interested in your children, they are more interested in bank accounts, loans, and credit fraud. Also, it is wise to talk to your kids about social media and posting photos. For instance, I have control of my kids accounts and they are not public. They share it amongst their friends. - All in all, it is wise to be safe, but you can’t stop your kids from socializing forever in this new generation and the best way is to teach them and to teach them is to talk to them and lead by example. If a parent can’t do that, then their kids will, if they are not already, smarter than them in the coming technological era."

She brings up some interesting points, however, I can't imagine how truly violated and ashamed I'd feel if someone stole my kids' photos and used them for deviant purposes.  I would guess that my children, too, would feel disgusted and embarrassed by those pics as well.  Granted, you can't fully control how others will use photos of your children, but if I can do anything to grant my kids some photographic privacy (never mind that I blog about them without using their real names), I will take those measures even if it means that friends and family can't see those photos online.  

Parents, obviously, the choice is yours.

Thank you for reading!