In the past week a video of a 9-year old boy with Quaden Bayles is circulating around the world. This is a good thing in many ways. Quaden is a child who has been severely bullied. There has been an outpouring of support for him which has resulted in money being raised and it has brought into the forefront the issue of mental health and bullying. This story shows us that social media can be a positive force in the world and if you know anything about me, you know that I am all about that!
This CNN opinion piece raises an interesting perspective about this case and the issue of privacy which I think is also important to consider. It states:
However loving the intention behind posting this video was (and I can well understand this mother’s desperation), the fact is that for the rest of the boy’s life his name will likely always be associated with it. What’s more, the viral video is likely to encourage other parents to try to emulate it, continuing to break down the privacy rights of children. Just because we have the ability to share videos of our kids with the rest of the world, doesn’t mean we should give in to our impulses. There has to be a better way to seek support or fight bullying without compromising our children’s privacy.
One of the things I talk about my upcoming book, Raising Digital Leaders is the importance of creating a culture of consent among young people. No matter how young our children are, we should be asking the question, “Are you ok with me posting this?” every time we post something.
Even with a Freedom of Information consent form signed, when I photograph my students to share on social media some of the awesome things they are doing I always ask my students that question and I also ask them if they would like to be tagged in the photo. In my personal life, I have often said to my friends that any picture of me that goes online needs to be approved. This is not because I want to create the image of the “perfect” mom or educator (I make it a habit to share the not so awesome moments in my life as well as the great ones), but there are moments in my personal life which I don’t necessarily want to share with the world. This is true for everyone.
I believe that we reinforce the idea that anything that goes online should be done with full permission, it may help create a culture where kids are respectful of one another’s right to (or not) post. We need to normalize that consent matters when it comes to posting on social media.
Really interested in what you think. Please use the comments below to share your thoughts.
