The first social media babies are adults now. Some are pushing for laws to protect kids from their parents’ oversharing
McCarty said the most egregious offenders are parents who seek out and even create drama among their children to boost their followings.
“Imagine a family vlog where instead of antics, intimate details such as mental health issues, grades and personal things like potty training and first periods get shared online, where they live forever,” McCarty said.
“Parents then use this clip as clickbait to generate intrigue and revenue for a monetized family channel. Some accounts even record and monetize videos in which the parents encourage their kids to fight each other as a prank.”
McCarty advises parents to operate under the golden rule of do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
“If your child posted things like, ‘Oh, you know, my mom just got into a really big fight with her colleague at work the other day.’ ‘Oh, my mom didn’t close this business deal at work, and she might get fired.’ ‘Oh, my mom and my dad aren’t getting along because he spends too much time at the bar,’” McCarty said. “It’s the intimacy of what’s being shared that strangers don’t have any right to know.”
Adults would be hurt if someone revealed their most personal details online to make money, McCarty said, adding that parents should assume their children would be, too.
