Why hire me?
Because I will capture your cute chubby-faced babies during tummy time or set up a dreamy family photoshoot for you and your camera shy teens, but I will not overshare these pictures on my platform to simply grow my business. Instead, I will only share anonymous portraits of little ones on social media to model 'mindful sharenting' + online safety.
I will not share pictures that identify children
I know that 99% of parents have their kids’ best intentions at heart. So, my concern is not with the parental controls upfront, when it comes to sharing pictures online, but rather how that content might travel.
Because:
- You don’t know who your audience is right now or into the future and
- You don’t know how your content may be repurposed, remixed or reshared and used in ways that you can’t anticipate.
What is 'sharenting'?
Sharenting refers to the practice of parents sharing photos of their children online. Usually, images are shared on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and capture quotidian moments in children’s lives, such as first steps, trips to the zoo, school performances, and holidays, for example. But as much as parents may want to share their children’s achievements and lives with friends and family, sharing photos online can be problematic.
Why do I care so much?
Because I have experienced bed actors online try to find out things like what your kids look like, what school they attend, your name, and the names of any other caregiver and this can escalate to be a dicey situation. With this information they can begin to deceive, manipulate, or divulge (aka social engineer) that information for fraud, phishing attacks, identity theft, and even stalking. And now I believe in being very thoughtful and mindful about what we share of others online, but especially minors, as it builds in personal accountability and creates a culture of online safety.
What does the research say?
Research shows over three-quarters of parents post their children online – with the majority of parents posting pictures to private accounts with very few followers and people they genuinely know. Studies also show that by the age of five, many children will have had 1,500 photos of them shared online. With that said, sharenting isn’t an inherently a bad practice. But not being informed about it can lead to online risks, like identity theft and cyberbullying, so parents on Facebook, Instagram, should consider these things before they post.
Key takeaways:
- Just in case it wasn't already clear - What sets Famiglia Fotos apart from other family photographers is our core belief of sharing anonymous portraits on social media that models ‘mindful sharenting’ and online safety for children.
- I practice what I preach. But, what is right for me and my family may be different for you and your family. Either way, I won’t build my business by sharing photos of your children’s faces online.
- I don’t feel like my decision not to share my kids online is better than your decision to share yours. I just know that it’s still a pretty firm line for me and I will always respect children's privacy.
- While I may post photos that show the faces of adults present at my photoshoot; I will always ensure these photos are creatively faceless in regards to children and protect their identity.
- May parents share pictures of their children online with family and friends to build connection. There are numerous ways to improve the security of these photos and minimize the risks of ‘oversharenting’. Here are some things to remember: check privacy settings, have discussions about privacy with friends and family, turn off metadata and geotagging, do not include identifiable information and avoid using real names.
