I don’t post my kids on social media.
No, I don’t think I’m some high-profile celeb saving their identities from hungry paparazzi. But six and a half years ago, my husband and I chose not to post our kid’s faces on social media. Now, I must also add he and I rarely post anything on social media as it is, so it’s not a large modification to our daily lives, but still, it’s something we stand by as parents to three small kids.
Social media is always a controversial topic. When deciding to write this post, I did so from the perspective of sharing what is best for my family. The choices I make for my family are just that – for my family, and I respect the choices others make for their own.
I’ll never forget telling relatives and friends that we had no plans to post our children on Facebook or Instagram, or any other social media platforms. It was just so different from the norm that it felt awkward. Most respected our choices, and it was never discussed again. Some though, could not understand and went as far as to actually post my child on their social media, completely disregarding the parenting choice we had made and leading to additional awkward conversations.
We agreed years ago that until our kids understood social media, the good and the bad, and could decide for themselves, we wouldn’t put anything out there for the world to see.
We want them to understand the permanence of things that are posted, and want them to be a part of deciding how much of their life will be put out there for the world to see.
As my girls have gotten older and attend birthday parties or play dates, navigating social media has become much harder. It has brought up more of those uncomfortable conversations, asking to please crop out my kid or throw an emoji over their face. There is no section in the parenting handbook on handling picture taking and sharing at your kids’ social events or elementary schools. Still, I have found that I grow more confident in our decision when faced with those conversations.
This often feels silly trying to keep them off of social media when it truly has infiltrated all aspects of the modern world. But almost seven years later, I still feel so confident and happy with our decision. As more of my friends do the same with their kids, it shows the importance of respecting everyone’s family choices, whether those are shared on social media or not.
