Since every smartphone and tablet today comes with a camera, we all have the ability to take and share photos at any time and in any place. While this is great for families to record memories and share moments, it can also present a few challenges. Here are some important thing that both parents and kids need to know about taking and posting pictures today:
Turn off location settings
You may not realize it, but many phones have the default setting of geotagging your location when you take a photo. This data is then saved and can be accessed by others viewing your photos online. It presents a safety issue because your exact location, whether it’s your home or a public place, can be quickly and easily found. Take the time to find out how to turn off the location setting on your smart phone and all devices, including your children’s. You may choose to tag a location later, when sharing the picture on a social media account. For safety reasons, it’s best to avoid doing so in real time.
Others can post without permission
Parents may find it troubling when others take photos of their children and post them on the internet, such as on social media sites. This is a tough situation, since we can’t control the actions of others. However, parents can politely ask for a photo to be removed or for their child’s face to blurred. If you see photos on someone’s social media that you’re uncomfortable with, send them a message and explain your concern. Likewise, always ask before uploading pictures from events that include other people’s children. It’s the polite and respectful thing to do.
Kids deserve to be asked
Before you post a photo of your child online, remember that they do deserve to be asked for their permission. Kids may not like a particular photo, or they just may not want a moment or memory shared with others, and that’s ok. They should have the power to veto a picture if they want to. Just like you don’t post every photo of yourself, you shouldn’t post every photo of your kids without discretion. Show them that respect, and ask them if it’s okay before you upload. On the other hand, you should be monitoring your child’s iPhone or smartphone to ensure nothing inappropriate get shared by them.
Protect your online profiles
In order to keep your photos safe and limit the people that can see them, use the privacy settings on your social media profiles. You can tweak the privacy settings on your photo albums on Facebook so that only certain people are able to view them. This is especially helpful if you would like to share photos with family, rather than all of your Facebook friends. Other sites also allow you to protect your accounts by setting them to private and only letting your followers view your posts. Take a few minutes to adjust the privacy settings on all of your accounts.
The ability to take and share photos is one of the best features smart phones offer. Keep these things in mind, and you’ll be able to safely share pictures and allow your children to do the same.
