Sharing #BackToSchool pictures: Are you putting your child's life in danger?
Your child is dressed up and ready for their first day at school. As a parent, the first thing you do is grab your camera to snap a pic and share it with the masses. But could you be doing more harm than good by doing so? Jane investigates further.
Listen to Jane's interview with Cath Jenkin, Journalist and Media Consultant, and Mark from The Guardian about the dangers of posting your child's picture online, or read the details under the podcast.
Many kids, including Jane's three, went back to school this week, so her timeline was flooded with parents sharing images of their kids in full uniform - complete with a massive school bag and shiny school shoes.
READ - The first day #BackToSchool: Where has the time gone?
If you're a parent, seeing your child dressed up ready for school has to be a proud moment, and while it isn't a crime to share pictures of them online or on social media, Cath Jenkin, a Journalist and Media Consultant, has warned of the dangers of doing so.
Jane came across Cath's article online which covers the reasons as to why she thinks it's dangerous to be posting and circulating your kids' pictures.
"When you post a picture of your child in their school uniform on to a social network or platform, you are immediately informing the world that your child is at a particular place, at a particular time, and you’re not there to protect them," Cath adds in her article featured on her website.
She also adds that while we may think that we have beefed up our security settings on our platforms - and that we may be safe from the dangers of predators, what happens when your account gets hacked? Remember, there are people out there who know how to break through the walls of security to obtain and utilise your information for their benefit.
Cath's article could not have come at a better time, especially after the spate of child kidnappings that gripped the province and country back in 2018.
READ: When WhatsApp messages go viral: Kidnapping voice note fuels panic
She sums her article up perfectly by saying: "When it comes to sharing your family’s daily routines, location and lives online, it’s better to be on the safe side." Parents need to look at the bigger picture when sending an innocent photo to a WhatsApp group or on a social media platform that may have one contact they don't know.
You can read Cath's full article here.
As a parent, do you find anything wrong with posting pictures of your child online?