Being a self proclaimed “Cool Mom” I instantly took to social media. It was almost second nature. Right up there with oxygen. From MySpace to SnapChat, sharing and even over sharing from date night photos to birth of babies came so easy. A small peek into my world if you may.
Of course, the dangers of social media always lurked in the back of my mind, but I still shared precious moments of my little family. I felt like I was being safe as possible, always careful not to post locations or naked photos of my children. I always checked in somewhere (Read: Disneyland lol) after we left… always careful as possible.
…But one day I came across this video on Facebook about hidden violent videos on YouTube that at first appearance, seemed harmless. Naturally, I shared the post with all my mom groups. With my stomach churning, I was quickly brought back to reality and reminded of the sinister people in the world. When I happen to refresh my feed I came across another article, HERE.. This article is written by parents who posted an innocent photo of their baby girl, in which a disgusting site reblogged the photo in the most disturbing way. .
This article truly hit home. This could be my child, this could be your child. There are disgusting individuals out there lurking, taking seamlessly innocent photos and exploiting them. I quickly went to social media and deleted a ton of photos of my children, those I kept up I untagged and deleted hashtags.
I believe social media is a powerful tool. You can create a business, have a voice and connect with people all over the world. I’ve made amazing connections and re-connections with fellow moms. Even formed real life friendships. But within this wonderful thing lies REAL dangers. I’ve made the decision that I won’t stop sharing because of fear, but I will be more mindful of what I share and how much I share. Less ‘them’ in a world that I cannot control, even if it means less ‘double taps’ for this ‘cool mom’.
Stay tuned for an internet safety checklist.
Xoxo
@HeartHappy_Mom
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