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Saturday, November 9, 2013

Facebook and Your Kids

Facebook used to be about friends and relatives, but now it's not. People add others that they barely know or maybe not even know at all to their Friends list. They don't know if the person is a stalker, rapist, or worse, a pedophile.

Surveys say that almost 9 out of 10 parents post their child’s full name, and exact date and time of birth before even coming home from the hospital. As the child grows, they post pictures of their kids and tag their friends, siblings, and other relatives.

This kind of information could be used by predators to befriend your kid. They could use your kid's name and the names of their relatives and friends to build trust and convince them that they are not really a stranger.  A stranger that knows detailed information that allows them to have a rapport with your child.

Identity thieves can also use this information to answer security questions to access your accounts.  If you must post pictures of your children then you should at least remove personally identifying information such as their full names and birth dates. Your real friends know their names anyway.

If you're going to put your family on display then at least give them a fighting chance. Make sure that your friends are really your friends and make sure you don't put too much information out there.

Do you think posting your kid's photo on FB can be harmful?


4 comments:

  1. I think it can. When I have kids.........I'm going to create a private album on fb only accessible to family and friends. I may post a few here or there that everyone can see but not many.

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    Replies
    1. Sounds like a great idea! A private account with people you trust is what everyone should consider! Thanks for chiming in!

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  2. I JUST had this conversation a couple days ago. I see it all the time on Facebook - friend has a baby, then immediately shares every detail: full name, date of birth, time of birth, weight, length... everything but the baby's SS#. And I've seen first hand how sharing a child's picture can cause havoc. Anyone can copy it and do whatever they please. I have one friend who - in 3 years - has NEVER posted a picture of her child. I think I'm gonna take after her (maybe, lol).

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    Replies
    1. LOL! I wouldn't blame you if you did follow her footsteps, Tiffany. It can be a scary thing. Some people don't realize that social networks are like windows into your home.

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