Two Out of Five New Moms Do This On Social Media: Should You?

Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, or some crazy combination of all of the above, we as parents are possibly more connected than any other parental generation before us. That makes it easier to keep up with friends and family even when life gets super busy—and for many families, it’s an easy way to share precious moments in their children’s lives with far-away loved ones. All that said, I was still surprised to learn that a full 40 percent of new moms start independent social media accounts for their children before they are even one year old!

There are a lot of conflicting beliefs about kids and social media—many parents don’t want their kids on these digital platforms as children since they can be a hotbed of bullying, gossip, and drama for school-age kids; yet at the same time, nearly half of all young moms are starting their babes out early with their very own accounts. What gives? Well, for many parents, they say they want to share every cute, funny, and beautiful moment of their little one’s life—but they don’t want to subject all of their contacts to a daily flooding of kiddie pics. Giving the child his own account acts as a kind of opt-in for grandparents and other family members who want to see it all.

While that might be a smart work-around, there’s also the issue of the child’s privacy to think about. Think about it this way: You had a choice as to whether or not to sign up for social networks. I actually have some friends who’ve still never signed up for Facebook, and they’re happy about it! Still, the point is, that you, as a teenager or adult, had a choice and you made that decision to make certain things about your life public. When you create an account for your child before he or she can even understand what social media is, you’re not giving them that same choice at all. They’ve got the account and all those baby snaps will be out there, whether or not they agree with it years down the road.

Personally, I don’t have individual accounts for my children. To me, it’ll be up to them what they share and how they want to put themselves out there once they’re older. Yes, I do post a cute pic here and there on my own accounts because, who can resist (right?!), but I try to have common sense about that, too, being respectful of what my sons and daughters might eventually not want spread around (i.e. potty pics—Can you imagine if someone posted pics of you on the toilet? No thank you!)

As the world of social media evolves, I think families need to figure out what works best in their situation while also being sensitive to the possible opinions of their children as they grow older.