Children’s right to privacy

“If it’s not on Instagram, it hasn’t happened.” How many of us have heard that one before? This week we are looking at the serious matter of parents who choose to constantly post their children on social media platforms.

Apparently there are three types of parents on social media; the ones who never post their children, the ones who occasionally post their children, and the ones who make it their life’s mission to document every step of their poor child’s existence (my least favourite). I know we live in the era of Instagram, but doesn’t a child who is too young to decide for themselves have a right to privacy?

According to child psychologist Sneha John, this whole issue can have both positive and negative effects on children. It all depends on how the parent handles it. There are issues of self-esteem and safety which little children should not be having to deal with.

In my opinion, children should be kept off social media as much as possible and be allowed to live a free childhood without pushy parents posting every detail of their lives. It’s like these parents live through their children, and in the end the children turn out to be bratty and stuck up seeing themselves as some sort of celebrity. Get back to real life people and let your children be children.

In other news this week, turn to our Lifestyle pages to see how you can give your living room a simple makeover. The sofa is the main part of the room so give it some attention in the form of a throw, a re-cover or even an upgrade.