Q: I don’t want to share photos of my new baby online, but my family is pressuring me to post. Any ideas?
Many of today’s new moms and dads are the first digital natives to be parents—growing up in a world steeped in technology and social media. While they are tech-savvy participants and connect socially online, nine out of ten millennials (born from the early 1980s through the early 2000s) believe people share too much information about themselves online.
If this sounds like you, your real challenge is how to give friends, aunts, uncles—even grandparents—updates about your new bouncing bundle without plastering baby pictures all over the Internet. Try these ideas to take baby steps with your new family’s social media presence.
Send traditional photos. Older family members love the hard copies and providing these photos will give them something to pass around their social circles.
Call her 007. Giving your new bundle a code name can allow you to share news and milestones without sharing her name or photo on Facebook. Set the standard and your friends and family will follow suit.
Practice makes private. Add a “Please do not share this photo or post it online” clause to emails or texts you send that contain photos of your baby. Eventually, your friends and family will get the message and will be more thoughtful about posting photos without asking.
Never say never. Instead of taking a militant stand, explain to family and friends that you want some private time with your new family and will be taking baby steps into the world of social media.
If they post? Assume they are proud grandparents, aunts and friends wanting to share good news, not disregard your request for privacy. Appreciate their enthusiasm. Then politely ask that photos be taken down and that you’ll let them know when you’re ready for baby’s online debut.
