W9.3 Parents and Children

Most children today get their first data point online when their parents post a sonogram of the baby-in-progress on a Facebook page or blog. From that moment on, the life of a child is documented online whether the child agrees or not. There is no "undo" for children when they turn 18 - the records created by parents are not under control of the child when they come of age. Look through your own Facebook updates or the news feeds of your friends. How many of us post pictures of children doing "funny things" without taking the future adult life of the child into consideration? Remember the famous "Charlie Bit Me" video? There's no question that parents have the right to share because children are a large part of their life. But should children have the right to scrub what they don't want when they are old enough to make these decisions?

The Ethical Implications of Parents Writing About Their Kids Links to an external site., by Phoebe Maltz Bovy, The Atlantic, January 15, 2013. 

This blog post contains a nice set of guidelines for parents to consider when sharing about their children: Dear Oversharing Parents... Links to an external site. by Randi, DotComplicated, January 2013. 

North Carolina father shoots daughter’s laptop after she complains on Facebook about her chores Links to an external site., by Taylor Hom, NY Daily News, Feb 10, 2012. [warning: I find this video a little disturbing, you may too]

The role of parents in digital safekeeping and advice-giving Links to an external site., Pew Internet & American Life Project, November 9, 2011.