Why do people post photos of their minor children on the web? I don’t get it and I see it all the time. People who are supposedly intelligent yet everyday on Facebook, blogs and other social networking sites I see photos of children. I want to scream!

I get people being proud parents. I’m one too. But I can’t begin to count the number of parents who are in denial about putting their kids at risk by posting personal information and photos. The argument I hear most often: “It’s a private group; I have to approve the friends.”

Really? Is it? I know for a fact that I can see personal photos on some social networking sites when I am not even someone’s approved Friend. Perhaps that is because I am a friend of a friend who is approved – I don’t know why, but I know that I see kiddos faces all the time of people who aren’t listed as my Friend. And can these people honestly tell me that they know each and every one of their Friends well enough to trust them with their child’s life?

I personally trust very few with the lives of my children. And just like the safe sex campaign that you can’t possibly know all the lovers that your lover has had and it’s like sleeping with each of them – those parents who parade their kiddo’s pics can‘t possibly know all the Friends of Friends and the lurkers of Friends. They’re kidding themselves if they truly see nothing wrong with this practice.

I received an email linking to a video of someone’s adorable little daughter smelling some candles. This person emailed it to a large group of people “Aww, look how cute.” Within 20 minutes I was able to tell the sender where this adorable little child lived, where she went to church, what preschool she went to, where her parents worked and other personal facts about her. If I could find that information so easily then a child molester or kidnapper certainly could too.

These same parents are protective of what they will and won’t allow their children to do – both online and offline – all in the name of protecting their children. Yet these are the same people who don’t see anything wrong with making their children’s private and confidential information available to all of the World Wide Web.

Ironically, if you go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and you’ll see the following tips for Parents to give their Kids about Internet Safety. Yet it’s these same parents who are not abiding by them:

Tips for Parents and Guardians

· Talk to your children about:

• not giving out personal information, such as names, school, city, or e-mail address. This includes making or posting plans and activities on the site
• posting pictures online; once an image is posted anywhere on the Internet (even on a profile with private settings), it may never be completely erased from the Internet, even if it is deleted
• the dangers of communicating with people they have never met in person. Remind them that people on the Internet are not always who they say they are
• coming to you or another trusted adult if he or she ever feels threatened or uncomfortable about something online
• using privacy settings to restrict who can and cannot access their profile or blog. Teach children to only accept people as friends if they know and trust them in real life

· Monitor what your child’s friends are posting regarding your child’s identity. Often children and their friends have accounts linked to one another, so it’s not just your child’s profile and information you need to worry about.

I’m just amazed at the people who post photos of their minor children – I have friends and family members who do this everyday. They tell me that I’m crazy; I’m over protective. I’m here to tell you that 628,680 families will tell you otherwise:

According to MissingKids.org, since its establishment in March 1998, the CyberTipline has received more than 628,680 reports involving the possession, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography, the online enticement of children for sex acts, child prostitution, child sex-tourism, child molestation (not in the family), unsolicited obscene material sent to a child, and misleading domain names.