Yes, it finally happened. A teen sued her parents over a potty picture.
Social media has changed the way families share their memories–and sometimes this makes things quite complicated. While social media can provide a wonderful means to connect to friends and family, it also has the possibility of encroaching on other’s privacy and ruining relationships.
In this case, an 18-year-old girl claims her parents have posted 500 pictures of her since 2009 to social media to their 700 Facebook friends, as reported by The Local, a newspaper in Austria. Some of these pictures, the teen claims, are inappropriate to share online, as they showed her getting a diaper changed and being potty trained. She stated that she begged them not to post them:
“They knew no shame and no limit and didn’t care whether it was a picture of me sitting on the toilet or lying naked in my cot. Every stage was photographed and then made public. I’m tired of not being taken seriously by my parents.”
Legal expert Michael Rami claims the posting may have “denied the teen a personal life.” Of course, this is incredibly murky territory, as there aren’t many explicit laws pertaining to social media–and what is legal or not (unless it’s actually slander). A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Washington and the University of Michigan discovered that kids between the ages of 10 and 17 were “really concerned” about what their parents post. The parents, however, weren’t all that worried or concerned.
In age where we do often overshare our private lives (I’ve been guilty of this myself, we all have), it is important to ask yourself before posting: Does this really need to be posted? What do I want to say with this post? Will it hurt somebody else? If you don’t have good answers, then maybe it’s good not to post at all.
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