Hi Mia—

    It happened again! Mom made another embarrassing Instagram post about me. Somehow she always picks the worst photos too. It’s so annoying. I hate when she shares these pictures of me for everyone to see. I’m sure you feel the same way. Maybe we can ask her to stop posting about us?

    I know Mom probably thinks the post is cute and funny. But once something is put online, it’s basically there forever. What if I’m applying for a job someday? The managers could google me and see this post. It makes me sound like a giant crank. I’m also worried about people in my class finding these photos. They’d probably make fun of me.

    Sometimes the photo itself isn’t so bad. But posting on social media can bring up privacy issues too. In school we learned that having personal information—like our age and birthday—tied to photos can be dangerous. Someone could steal my identity or make fake profiles pretending to be me! 

    We never post embarrassing photos of Mom. Shouldn’t she act the same way? 

    Allie

    Hi Mia—

    It happened again! Mom made an embarrassing Instagram post about me. She always picks the worst photos too. It’s so annoying. I hate when she shares these pictures of me. I’m sure you feel the same way. We should ask her to stop posting about us.

    Mom might think the post is cute. But once something is online, it’s pretty much there forever. What if I’m applying for a job someday? The managers could google me and see this post. It makes me sound like a giant crank. I also don’t want my classmates to find these photos. They’d probably make fun of me.

    Sometimes the photo itself isn’t so bad. But there are other problems with posting on social media. Having personal information like your age and birthday tied to photos can be dangerous. Someone could steal my identity or make fake profiles pretending to be me! 

    We never post embarrassing photos of Mom. Shouldn’t she act the same way?

    Allie

    Hi Mia—

    It happened again! Mom made another embarrassing Instagram post about me. Somehow she always chooses the worst photos too. I hate when she shares these pictures of me for everyone to see. I’m sure you feel the same way—so maybe we should ask her to stop posting about us.

    I realize Mom probably thinks the post is cute and amusing—but once something is put online, it’s basically there forever. What if I’m applying for a job someday and the managers google me and see this post? It makes me sound like a giant crank. And also, if anyone in my class finds these photos, they’ll almost certainly make fun of me.

    Sometimes the photo itself isn’t completely unacceptable—but posting on social media can bring up privacy issues too. In school we learned that having personal information—like our age and birthday—connected to photos can be dangerous. Someone could steal my identity or make fake profiles pretending to be me!

    We never post embarrassing photos of Mom. Shouldn’t she show us the same consideration?

    Allie

    Hey Allie—

    I totally understand. Mom has posted embarrassing photos of me too! But I’m not sure it’s fair to ask her to stop posting about us.

    Mom makes these silly posts because she loves us so much. Old baby photos might make us cringe, but they make Mom smile. Remember what she says to us at every birthday? “You’re growing up so fast! I’m so proud to be your mom.” Sharing silly photos is a way for her to treasure old memories. 

    Plus, isn’t it mostly family and a few of Mom’s friends who see her Instagram photos? It’s not like your friends or classmates follow her.

    I think you should talk to her about it. Mom didn’t grow up with the internet like we did! Remind her that it’s easier than ever to track a person down with even a little information. 

    You can also ask her to consider some questions before she posts. Does the post share details like your address or school? If someone posted the same photo of her, would she be embarrassed? This might help her think twice—and keep everyone safe.

    Love, Mia

    Hey Allie—

    I get it. Mom has posted embarrassing photos of me too! But I’m not sure we should ask her to stop posting about us.

    Mom makes these silly posts because she loves us. Old baby photos might make us cringe, but they make Mom smile. Remember what she says to us at every birthday? “You’re growing up so fast! I’m so proud to be your mom.” She shares silly photos because she treasures the memories.

    Plus, isn’t it just family and a few of Mom’s friends who see her Instagram photos? It’s not like your friends or classmates follow her.

    I think you should talk to Mom. She didn’t grow up with the internet like we did! Remind her that it’s easy to track a person down with even a little information. 

    You can also ask her to consider some questions before she posts. Does the post share details like your address or school? If someone posted the same photo of her, would she mind? This might help her think twice—and keep us all safe.

    Love, Mia

    Hey Allie—

    I totally understand—after all, Mom has posted embarrassing photos of me too! Still, I’m not sure it’s reasonable to ask her to stop posting about us.

    By making these silly posts, Mom is expressing her love for us. Old baby photos might make us cringe, but they make Mom smile. On every birthday, she tells us, “You’re growing up so fast! I’m so proud to be your mom.” Sharing silly photos is a way for her to show how much she treasures memories of us. 

    And anyway, isn’t it mostly just family and a few of Mom’s friends who see her Instagram photos? It’s not like your friends or classmates follow her.

    I think you should talk to Mom about this. She didn’t grow up with the internet like we did! Remind her that it’s easier than ever to track a person down with even a little information.

    You can also ask her to consider some things before she posts—for instance, whether the post shares details like your address or school, and whether she would be embarrassed if someone posted a similar photo of her. This might help her think twice—and keep everyone safe.

    Love, Mia