I don't like scare tactics, and I apologize if any of this comes across as such. I will do my best to present facts and avoid sensationalizing the subject.
The topic of the day: nude or semi-nude pictures of your kids on social media.
As many of you know, I've taken a rather hard-nosed approach to modesty, and this may be an extension of that stance. Regardless of my personal feelings on the matter, here are some things for you to consider:
-Sexual predators are getting smarter and sneakier than ever before.
-Pedophiles and predators are very patient and spend months and even years "grooming" their victims, including the parents of potential victims. This means that the take the time to build friendships and trust so that they will not be suspected.
-Not all sexual predators are known and documented. Some of them, either documented or not, likely live in your community.
-Statistically speaking, it is likely that at least one of your social media followers has pedophilic tendencies.
That said, I am feeling more and more concerned about the number of nude or semi-nude photos I've seen my friends share of their children. I get it-- they're adorable! They're just little kids! But in my opinion, there is no place for child nudity on social media. Many parents choose not to share photos of their children at all, and although this may be extreme, it is one of the only ways of preventing any predators or pedophiles from accessing images of your child.
Simply put, you just don't know where your photos may end up, who may be seeing them, and what they may be getting out of them.
There have been numerous disturbing reports lately of social media users who have stolen images of other's children in order to claim they are their own, or use them as bartering material on child porn sites and forums. This is sickening to me, and largely preventable.
What can you do?
1. Refrain from posting images that could be construed as sexual or explicit.
2. Refrain from posting images that show more skin than you would be comfortable with a pedophile viewing. (This includes bath photos, cake smash photos, or just chillin' in diapers or undies photos.)
3. Be aware of your privacy settings and only allow those you trust to view photos of your kids at all.
4. Change your settings so that you must approve images others tag of you or your kids or put on your profile in order for them to be posted.
5. Use your head. Think before posting.
These are some of my own personal preferences. I know most of you won't (or maybe don't even need to) change anything as a result of this post, but I urge you to at least put a little more thought into the pictures you share. In all compassion for those who struggle with child attraction, don't let your kid be one of their triggers. It may not be your responsibility to keep others' thoughts clean, but it is your responsibility to protect your children from those who might see them as anything more than cute little babies.
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