AS PART OF TheJournal.ie’s weekly Family Magazine, we wanted to create a space for parents to share their views. A place where mums and dads could share their experiences, lessons learned, and even mistakes along the way.
Most adults share some elements of their personal lives online these days, be it connecting with friends on Facebook or Instagram or sharing their views on Twitter. But should your kids be a part of your online persona too, or should that decision be left up to them when they’re old enough to make it?
This week we’re asking our panel…
Do you share photos of your kids on social media?
Here’s what they had to say…
There’s not a single photo of her on social media: Clíodhna is one, so she’s still young, but to date we have managed to avoid sharing even one photo of her on social media. Both myself and my husband are relatively private and don’t share much of our lives online. We wanted to give Clíodhna that same privacy and let the choice be hers with regards to what digital footprint she wants to leave behind. But I can understand why some parents do want to share those personal (and frustrating) moments with others. It’s a personal choice.
- Riona Flood
I don’t see too much of a problem sharing photos while he’s still a toddler: I do share photos on Instagram of Charlie, including some that could potentially be quite embarrassing! Given that he’s just a baby/toddler, I don’t feel like it’s infringing on his privacy. But I plan to share fewer photos as he grows up and becomes more autonomous. I know some parents feel really strongly about this but to me it’s never been a big deal.
- Kait Quinn
I keep social media for pontificating about climate change: I shared pictures of both my children on Facebook when they were born, but in recent years I have reconsidered sharing pictures on open social media platforms. I am less comfortable with it now and have concerns about consent and misuse of photos. I now limit sharing of photos to WhatsApp family groups, and utlise my social media profiles to pontificate about climate change instead!
- Denise
We share photos to update family and friends abroad: Our friends and family are quite geographically dispersed so we don’t get to see them often, and social media is a great way to share our kids’ special moments with them. My wife and I both share photos on Facebook and WhatsApp. We do have a cloud drive too for sharing photo albums with our closest family and friends. But some images you just have to share with a slightly wider audience.
- Ross Boxshall
There are a few on Facebook, but *only* a few: I have a few pictures of Tymek on my Facebook profile: one from when he was born, and a couple from his first and second birthdays. The posts are more to update any friends and family that I don’t see much. But close friends and family get photos on WhatsApp regularly.
- Marta Lisiecka
I have no problem sharing photos, but only on Facebook: I have no issue sharing pictures of my children on social media. The only platform I am on is Facebook, and I screen every friend request that I receive. If I don’t know you, I don’t accept you. This way only my genuine friends and family can see my photos and can keep up to date with my children’s milestones and achievements.
- Denise Cumiskey
Yes, but with locktight sharing permissions: We do share photos on Facebook from time to time, but with permissions set to Friends Only and sharing permissions locked down, so that friends of friends can’t also see them. As for Instagram, we share them the odd time, but without faces. Twitter is a no, as it’s wide open and irrelevant. I don’t understand the desire to share kids’ daily lives on social media. We post the occasional thing that we feel family who live away might appreciate, but even that happens less and less. We are conscious of what it might teach our kids in terms of social media sharing.
- Alan Dooley
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