Your Child is All Over the Internet!

AVG, an internet security company, did a study and it turns out that 92% of US children have a digital footprint….before they are two years old. Have you thought about your child’s presence on the internet?

About once a week I say out loud that I am grateful I had my daughter before Facebook went mainstream. I was using Myspace when she was a baby but that environment wasn’t really about family. I just know that I would’ve uploaded a ridiculous amount of pictures and been an “over sharer” (that’s NOT a veiled dig at anyone I know!). The reason I joined Facebook originally was to keep up to date with a girlfriend that moved to rural Canada. I had to wait for it to leave the university system so I could join to see pictures and videos she posted. I feel like I watched her son grow up via social networking. Due to our distance, there’s no other way we could’ve shared that much. [Article about Lance Armstrong’s unborn child’s Twitter account.]

My husband is on the opposite side of the social spectrum from me and has a higher level of privacy requirements than do I. Every time I post a picture or make a comment about my really really personal life, I think to myself, “What would Dan do?” (and I think of the WWJD bracelets :) ). Bottom line is I have a little girl and a family to consider. It’s not always about me. Sometimes it’s about prudence and safety. I don’t want to lose sight of the reason I use Facebook and other tools, to connect more deeply and regularly with my family and friends.

We are all looking to find a balance. Just remember…you are the guardian of your child’s reputation and name until they can screw it up for themselves.