Folks, I have finally figured it out.

Have a baby.

Since having a baby a week ago, all of a sudden everyone is willing to install a decent messaging app in order to receive pics of the baby.

We explained that we weren’t ready for images of our child to end up in the wrong hands via non-private apps. Another thing was telling them that the one single friend who had already got on board with this had already been recieving pics…

It’s been a conversation starter for many and I think seeing privacy from the point of view of a newborn has helped our family and friends understand it a bit more easily. Plus they’ve had to put up with it if they want any photos, so they will see it working firsthand.

So, if you want to have a baby, know that it can be a wonderful opportunity to help loved ones communicate more privately.

It also increases the sum total of love, community and compassion in the world and in your own life but that’s a conversation for another community :)

Edit: If anyone has good tips on how to share a little one’s journey more privately with those that care about them, please post them in the discussion.

    • @Specal@lemmy.world
      12•7 months ago

      I’m not arguing with your parenting style or saying you’re doing it wrong etc etc, I agree with it in theory but I’d like to share my younger sisters story.

      My mum decided she couldn’t have social media until she was “old enough” to protect her, this however caused her to end up getting a secret phone and create secret social media accounts. This eventually led to her being cyber bullied by students at her school who’s parents were less cautious. But because she was doing all of this secretly as her mum had said no to social media, she didn’t feel like she could get the support she needed. Fortunately she had an older brother who could help her, but I couldn’t go to the school for her as I’m not her guardian.

      I personally after this would lean into the world of not necessarily supervised social media usage, but educating and cautioning what it means to post on social media. How it will never go away and when it’s there, it’s there forever.

      My sister fully understands this now and is doing alot better, but ultimately the damage is done.

      I fully understand the point of view of no social media until 18, I just want you to be aware of potential consequences of being strict on it.

      • @nonfuinoncuro@lemm.ee
        4•7 months ago

        I don’t think you can really control kids after 12-13. If they really want something or their friends are all doing something then they can figure it out at that age, whether it’s the internet or drugs or whatever

      • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppetEnglish
        3•7 months ago

        Even if they don’t create a secret account, they get left out of groups, and probably mocked because everyone else is doing it. Not being able to do things that everyone else does when you’re a kid sucks. My wife and I were just talking a couple nights ago about how we’re glad we didn’t have to deal with that with our kid. We probably would have said no, which would have caused our kid some issues for sure.

      • @hitmyspot@aussie.zone
        1•7 months ago

        I’ve heard of people having success.eiyh setting up an account for the family pet and friending their kids and friends before they are old enough to understand the concept of sharing online.allows you to keep tabs on them unobtrusively and can obviously deactivate or defined as appropriate when they age.

        Hopefully though, I stead, you’ll teach them how to use privacy controls to not allow you to see, when they are old enough that it’s appropriate.