Soccer games, family vacations and reports of good grades are OK for social media sharing. Posts with baby photos or references to significant others — not so much. This is what children said when asked what their parents can share about them online, according to research from the School of Information. “You might expect that children don’t want their parents to share anything about them on social media but that’s not what we found,” said lead author Carol Moser, a doctoral student. “Children are OK with their parents posting about certain things, and not just praise for good grades and sports achievements, but also posts that simply reflect a happy home life.” The study also examined both parent and child perceptions about how much parents share. Contrary to expectations, both parents and children felt that the frequency of parent sharing was “about right.” However, children wanted more input about what is said about them. The researchers advise parents who wonder when it’s OK to post to simply ask their children.
