论文部分内容阅读
Babies， like cats， are everywhere on the web.
In the United States， the vast majority of two-year-olds—more than 90 percent of them—already have an online presence. More than 80 percent of babies younger than that are already on social media， too. Many children make their internet debut as grainy gray blobs on Facebook-posted ultrasound images before they’re even born.2
Sometime past toddlerhood， these kids might become aware that their online identities are already being shaped in some depth， and usually by their parents.3 Given the searchable， shareable， long-lasting nature of what’s published on the web， this dual role of parent and publisher raises a host of questions about privacy， consent， and the parent-child relationship more broadly.4
As a result， researchers， pediatricians， and other children’s advocates are in the early stages of designing a public-health campaign to draw attention to what they say is an inherent conflict between a parent’s freedom to publish and a child’s right to privacy.5
“It’s very rare that parents are sharing maliciously， but they haven’t considered the potential reach or longevity of what is happening with the information they’re posting，”6 says S tacey Steinberg， a law professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law and the associate director of the school’s Center on Children and Families.
It’s typical for adults to mention a child’s name and birthdate in birth announcements and other posts on sites like Facebook and Instagram， for instance， which puts kids at risk of identity theft and digital kidnapping—when someone lifts images of another person’s kids and portrays them as their own.7 Some parents publish real-time information about their children’s whereabouts8， potentially risking their safety. And well-meaning adults readily go online to share photos of their kids in a variety of intimate settings.9
Steinberg writes in her new paper of a blogger who posted photos of her young twins while they were potty training10. “She later learned that strangers accessed the photos， downloaded them， altered them， and shared them on a website commonly used by pedophiles，”11 Steinberg wrote. “This mother warns other parents not to post pictures of children in any state of undress12， to use Google’s search features to find any images shared online， and to reconsider their interest in mommy blogging.”
But even posting baby photos to a private Facebook group or protected Instagram account is not without risk. “With private groups， there is this false sense that everybody in the group knows each other and has the same interests in mind，” Steinberg said. Parents and caregivers don’t just have to trust that the people they choose to share with won’t download， redistribute， or otherwise misuse images—they also have to trust that the people who can access shared baby photos have their own robust privacy settings， and that they control who else can use their social media accounts， and so on.13 Many parents believe privacy settings are enough of a safety net， Steinberg wrote， so “they use little discretion sharing with their chosen audience.14 In reality， even these posts can reach a large audience.”
The implications of all this sharing extend far beyond questions of security， and get at the heart of a new paradigm in parenting.15 Caregivers are no longer merely gatekeepers16 for their children but also， in many cases， potentially the distributors of information about their children to mass audiences. There are clear benefits to all this sharing—for families and friends who are geographically dispersed， and for parents who share details about their children’s lives to seek advice from trusted friends， for example—but this new model can also pose a threat to a child’s sense of autonomy over his developing identity.17
Parents make value-based choices for their children all the time.They often tell their kids what to believe or which football team to root for18. There is no “bright line” that dictates when and how it’s appropriate for parents to express themselves through their children.19 Yet when identity-shaping decisions—made by parents， then distributed online in ways that ultimately remove parental control—are digitally preserved for years or longer， such decisions potentially get in the way of a child’s selfactualization.20
Children’s advocates argue that kids have a moral right to control their own digital footprint， and perhaps even a legal right. Giving children the right to say“no， it’s not okay for you to post that”—regarding images and quotes，21 as well as descriptions of their accomplishments and challenges—is something Steinberg says she feels especially strongly about. “By age four， children have an awareness of their sense of self，” she writes. “At this young age， they are able to build friendships， have the ability to reason22， and begin to compare themselves with others. Parents who post regularly can talk about the internet with their children and should ask young children if they want friends and family to know about the subject matter being shared.”
Children benefit from being “heard and understood，” she says， but it seems likely that such conversations would also encourage children to think critically23 about how online sharing might affect them. Developing this line of thinking from an early age prepares children to manage their own behaviors online as they grow—and it’s a more nuanced way of thinking about online publishing than teaching kids to never share anything whatsoever.24
In the United States， the vast majority of two-year-olds—more than 90 percent of them—already have an online presence. More than 80 percent of babies younger than that are already on social media， too. Many children make their internet debut as grainy gray blobs on Facebook-posted ultrasound images before they’re even born.2
Sometime past toddlerhood， these kids might become aware that their online identities are already being shaped in some depth， and usually by their parents.3 Given the searchable， shareable， long-lasting nature of what’s published on the web， this dual role of parent and publisher raises a host of questions about privacy， consent， and the parent-child relationship more broadly.4
As a result， researchers， pediatricians， and other children’s advocates are in the early stages of designing a public-health campaign to draw attention to what they say is an inherent conflict between a parent’s freedom to publish and a child’s right to privacy.5
“It’s very rare that parents are sharing maliciously， but they haven’t considered the potential reach or longevity of what is happening with the information they’re posting，”6 says S tacey Steinberg， a law professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law and the associate director of the school’s Center on Children and Families.
It’s typical for adults to mention a child’s name and birthdate in birth announcements and other posts on sites like Facebook and Instagram， for instance， which puts kids at risk of identity theft and digital kidnapping—when someone lifts images of another person’s kids and portrays them as their own.7 Some parents publish real-time information about their children’s whereabouts8， potentially risking their safety. And well-meaning adults readily go online to share photos of their kids in a variety of intimate settings.9
Steinberg writes in her new paper of a blogger who posted photos of her young twins while they were potty training10. “She later learned that strangers accessed the photos， downloaded them， altered them， and shared them on a website commonly used by pedophiles，”11 Steinberg wrote. “This mother warns other parents not to post pictures of children in any state of undress12， to use Google’s search features to find any images shared online， and to reconsider their interest in mommy blogging.”
But even posting baby photos to a private Facebook group or protected Instagram account is not without risk. “With private groups， there is this false sense that everybody in the group knows each other and has the same interests in mind，” Steinberg said. Parents and caregivers don’t just have to trust that the people they choose to share with won’t download， redistribute， or otherwise misuse images—they also have to trust that the people who can access shared baby photos have their own robust privacy settings， and that they control who else can use their social media accounts， and so on.13 Many parents believe privacy settings are enough of a safety net， Steinberg wrote， so “they use little discretion sharing with their chosen audience.14 In reality， even these posts can reach a large audience.”
The implications of all this sharing extend far beyond questions of security， and get at the heart of a new paradigm in parenting.15 Caregivers are no longer merely gatekeepers16 for their children but also， in many cases， potentially the distributors of information about their children to mass audiences. There are clear benefits to all this sharing—for families and friends who are geographically dispersed， and for parents who share details about their children’s lives to seek advice from trusted friends， for example—but this new model can also pose a threat to a child’s sense of autonomy over his developing identity.17
Parents make value-based choices for their children all the time.They often tell their kids what to believe or which football team to root for18. There is no “bright line” that dictates when and how it’s appropriate for parents to express themselves through their children.19 Yet when identity-shaping decisions—made by parents， then distributed online in ways that ultimately remove parental control—are digitally preserved for years or longer， such decisions potentially get in the way of a child’s selfactualization.20
Children’s advocates argue that kids have a moral right to control their own digital footprint， and perhaps even a legal right. Giving children the right to say“no， it’s not okay for you to post that”—regarding images and quotes，21 as well as descriptions of their accomplishments and challenges—is something Steinberg says she feels especially strongly about. “By age four， children have an awareness of their sense of self，” she writes. “At this young age， they are able to build friendships， have the ability to reason22， and begin to compare themselves with others. Parents who post regularly can talk about the internet with their children and should ask young children if they want friends and family to know about the subject matter being shared.”
Children benefit from being “heard and understood，” she says， but it seems likely that such conversations would also encourage children to think critically23 about how online sharing might affect them. Developing this line of thinking from an early age prepares children to manage their own behaviors online as they grow—and it’s a more nuanced way of thinking about online publishing than teaching kids to never share anything whatsoever.24