Back in the olden days of the early 90s, the internet was taking off and email was becoming popular. It was an exciting time in history! Never before had we been able to communicate in an instant, without ever speaking a word. A perfect hybrid of regular mail and a phone call, email was certainly one of my own first “what a world we live in!” moments. Maybe it was for you too.
It was a much more innocent time. Sure, people’s mail got stolen out of their mailboxes or folks would eavesdrop on conversations in restaurants, but to some degree this was expected. Human nature is … well … human nature. To combat this, folks would put locks on their mailboxes, or mail slots in their doors. They’d look around for prying ears before unloading the sordid details of Karen’s divorce.
When email was new, there were new rules that needed establishing. The understanding that your email is not as private as you might think was lesson #1, and things like “don’t write anything you wouldn’t want the whole world reading” became mantras we’d live by.
Secure Your Space, Here Come The Pedophiles
In the 30 or so years since email became a part of our every day, a lot has changed. The email has morphed into a whole online home of our own. The degree to which it is transparent is up to each of us, but privacy settings can be tough to navigate. Or maybe it’s just that when it moves into an online space, it becomes abstract enough that it doesn’t seem real… as if a lock is necessary. So we don’t tend to our online privacy as we should. But here’s something awful: There are people out there who are waiting for you to leave your proverbial ‘house’ unlocked. One such group of people? Pedophiles.
They’ve been keeping a close eye on you and your sweet family, and when the time is right, they’re going to grab what they want from your house. You may even be right there while they’re doing it. They may even be one of your 1,500 “friends”, commenting on what a darling 3-year-old you have. “Liking” all her pictures.
Downloading all her pictures.
Sharing them around to pedophile websites.
Photoshopping her face onto another child’s naked body. (1)
Seriously, this happens. If this is the first you’re learning of it, I’m sorry. It’s horrific to think about, and I’m sorry you’re learning of it here. But now that you’re aware, here’s how to protect the kids in your life.
Thwarting Online Pedophiles: Never The Face
It’s a sad fact that we must be constantly vigilant about our little loved ones’ presence on social media. You may want to share that adorable bath time photo on Instagram, but you’d be wise to assume that someone’s eavesdropping… that they love the “come hither” whisper of your sweet, innocuous bath photo. So, many parents these days have one simple rule: Never the face. They simply choose not to allow the image of their child’s face to appear online. They don’t put it on their own social media profiles, and they ask friends and family to obtain permission before posting photos on theirs. This gives them a chance to control what the world sees of their precious private life. It puts a second pair of eyes on it.
That leads me to a good secondary rule: Pause before you post. It’s just good advice for social media, but it goes double when you’ve got a little one in your life. Pause. Take stock of what your posting, and any ways it could be manipulated by someone who doesn’t have your best interests in mind. Because unfortunately, the likelihood that it will, is higher than you’d think.
