In this digital age where technology has become a vital part of our day-to-day lives, exposure to social media at some point is inevitable. However, we do have a certain level of control over when to expose ourselves to this wide-stretched world with its own advantages and disadvantages. The impact can be anything but positive for children who are put in the social media spotlight at such a young age. Recently, a TikTok account boasting 17 million followers has got parents on TikTok thinking as it throws light on issues related to children’s privacy and online safety. The account is run by a mom, and goes by the name ‘Wren Eleanor.’ The account is named after her three-year-old daughter who is featured mostly in her videos.
Stop and Think
The Wren Eleanor account has attracted the attention of a number of parents on TikTok who are now concerned about the implications of sharing photos and videos of children online. For instance, some parents were quick to point out that certain photos and videos of Wren Eleanor had been saved thousands of times by users. This also puts into question the privacy of the minor which is carelessly breached by the parent. The ripples of this discussion soon reached the other parents on TikTok who responded by taking down the photos and videos of their own kids from social media. Since the discussion regarding child safety and privacy gained momentum, Wren Eleanor’s mom disabled comments on her posts.
In the words of Sarah Adams, a TikTok user based in Vancouver, British Columbia,
“I think this is the start of a conversation, a much larger and broader conversation about accounts like this. This is being used as an example for the larger conversations about our children and social media and the exploitation of them.”
The case of this one account echoes larger problems that usually go unnoticed till disaster strikes. What is appalling is some parents’ readiness to take that chance with their kids. What Adams stated earlier is a valid point given the number of parents who use the photos and videos of their kids as content for their accounts, completely or rather conveniently forgetting that a single photo or video posted online leaves a digital footprint forever.
Perhaps the Wren Eleanor warning is a fair reminder to all those using social media especially parents to take a moment and think about the after-effects it can have on the kids. Because, as the saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry.
