What Parents Should Share: Child Privacy in the Age of Social Media and the Pediatrician's Role

Abstract

Blogging and social media have dramatically increased and parents now shape their children’s digital footprints often starting when their children are infants. The disclosures parents share online will follow their children into adulthood and there are many potential harms that are unrecognized by parents. Pediatricians are poised to provide guidance and advocacy in this area but need legal backing and oversight. We review the legal backdrop and whether children have a legal or moral right to control their own digital footprint and discuss the unique and novel conflict at the heart …