Scrapbook, don’t Facebook
SANDTON – A rape victim, counsellor and attorney explain why parents should be thinking carefully before posting pictures of their little ones online.
Olivia was raped as a little girl by her tennis coach. She recently took to Facebook to express her views on mothers posting pictures of the cute, innocent children in the nude.
She said, “Sjoe, I saw a post today of two little girls. One is in just her panties. Please, people, there are some sick people out there who would find a picture like that a turn-on. Stuff like that will be distributed if obtained by the wrong people. Then there is the question of how that little girl feels having her semi-naked photo distributed on social media. Think … it’s not always cute.”
When Olivia was asked by a Sandton Chronicle journalist whether or not she would be comfortable with her words being published, she exclaimed, “I would like to own those words.”
Sandton-based psychology graduate and youth counsellor, Nomaswazi Nkosi also has strong views on this topic. Nkosi highlighted that, as a result of social media, parents readily post pictures of their children in diapers or their birthday suits without giving much thought to the ‘sick people out there who would find a picture like that a turn-on’.
Nkosi said that, unfortunately, children are often the victims of sexual abuse. “As a youth counsellor, I am acutely aware of the fact that children are often sexually abused and we need to do everything in our power to stop this. The truth is that the mind of a sexual abuser works differently to that of the average man on the street, and that is why we need to be hyper-sensitive when posting pictures of our children on social media. What is cute for one may mean something quite different for a rapist,” explained Nkosi.
Social media expert and attorney, Tyrone Walker, explained that Facebook users should acquaint themselves with their privacy settings.
Parents who post pictures of their children should remember that ‘when users publish content or information using the public settings, it means they allow everyone, including people off of Facebook, to access and use such information’. He further highlighted that Facebook has privacy settings which all users should familiarise themselves with.
Nkosi ended off by saying, “By protecting your child, you are sending off a ripple effect of protection and setting a good example for others. Please, parents, think before you post.”
