Despite being offered a variety of privacy settings on Facebook, there is still no absolute guarantee that your photos would not be seen, taken or modified by people you didn't initially want to share with. The moment you upload a picture on the internet,
Just a year ago, Harith Iskander's son had his picture listed with other pictures of children in a local pornographic site.
This year...
Social activist Syed Azmi made aware of a possible pedophile group in Malaysia. The group members totaling 751, share photos of children and post sexually explicit and perverse comments about them.
Although news like these may have deterred some parents, but in this internet age and social media wave, proud enthusiastic parents continue to post regardless.
"Parents today think nothing of instantly sharing their babies’ first steps, their children’s introduction to the swimming pool, birthday parties and other joyous occasions with family and friends, some of whom stay in distant lands. But, do they stop for a moment to consider the consequences of uploading the images? " NST
How it can go horribly wrong
Baby-role playing - involves users posting a photo of a baby or child they find online and pretending the photo is of their child.
Risk Children Bullying and Intimidation - Some pictures may seem funny and harmless to parents, but if it was shared into discussion groups as joke, think what emotional trauma it can cause.
Child pornography - pictures may not necessarily be modified, but more often the pictures are featured next to inappropriate content like the case of Harith's son mentioned above.
Random advertising - I'm sure you wouldn't want your children's picture being used to promote something you never gave permission for.
Fake profiles and scams - Although using children's pictures is not so common in Malaysia.
Horrible Memes - How about having your kids pictures incorporated into Memes and redistributed?
Celebrity parents who still post
In Malaysia, says Eneng Faridah Iskandar (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's Senior Director for Advocacy and Outreach), social media accounts belonging to children of local celebrities are immensely popular.
Despite the initial scare, both Harith and his wife have chosen to continue to share photos of their three children on social media platforms.
Another popular celebrity couple that has chosen the same route are Awal Ashaari and Scha Alyahya, who set up an Instagram account for their daughter Lara Alana. Lara has amassed a whopping 2.1 million followers on Instagram alone. Her parents ensures us that they do take extra precautions to ensure their daughter's safety.
Nevertheless.. there are some pictures that are absolute no-nos
1. Bath time and nude pictures – no matter how cute they may be.
2. Pictures of their school or them in school uniform that can giveaway which schools they are in.
3, Images with their full name or any other details for example their MyKid
4. Potty time - because, seriously?
5. Embarrassing photos which your kids wouldn't want online at all. Some day, they might just stumble upon them.