reality check : photos and info shared on socials could show up in search algorithms for years to come
most parents who post photos, videos and details of their kids on social media do so simply because they’re proud of their offspring and want an easy way to share with relatives and friends. the early stages of parenting can feel quite solitary, so sharing those little moments on socials transforms the experience – it’s like a virtual lifeline, tethering us to the wider world when it feels like everything else is closing in and reminding us that we’re not navigating this wild ride alone
but while children might not give any thought to what their parents share about them on socials now, that may not stay true as they grow older. oversharing creates a very public, digital footprint that they might not want when they grow up. at around 5 years old, children start to develop a sense of themselves as individuals and how the rest of the world perceives them. they may start to feel embarrassed about what their parents post and privacy becomes more of a concern. it is after all, their personal content, so they should be in control of who sees it and also, who owns it
it’s difficult, if not impossible, to control information once it’s posted online. you can’t prevent anyone from taking a screenshot of your post and sharing it beyond your reach, sometimes turning up on disturbing websites and forums. this isn’t as uncommon as you might think. according to an Australian study of one such website, about half of the 45 million images of children on their site were taken directly from social media profiles. it’s also easy to overlook that some posts have little indicators that can help identify where a child lives, plays or goes to school
studies estimate that by 2030, nearly two-thirds of identity-fraud cases affecting today’s children will have resulted from ‘sharenting’ in earlier life
thinking about what you post and who can see it has never been more important, so as well as sharing privately with your connections in-app, rewind allows for memories to be shared externally, in the form of view-only weblinks, that you can set to expire after a time period of your choosing for added privacy and security