Close Menu
  • Home
  • What’s On
    • Events
    • Add an Event
    • Major Event
    • School Holiday Guide
  • Things To Do
    • Free Activities
      • Coastal Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
      • Picnic Spots
      • Playgrounds
      • Pram Walks
      • Rainy Day Activities
      • Walks and Bike Rides
    • Places to Visit
      • Attractions
      • Day Trips Away From The Peninsula
      • Galleries & Libraries
      • Historical
      • Markets
      • Tourism Centres
    • Places to Eat
      • Cafes
      • Restaurants
      • Wineries
    • Places To Stay
      • Accommodation
    • Shopping
      • Baby Goods – Sale & Hire
      • Child Friendly Shops
      • Made on the Peninsula
      • Online
      • Retail
    • At Home
      • Craft
      • Games
      • Recipes
  • Classes & Groups
    • Creative
      • Art and Craft
    • Playgroups
      • Central and Northern Peninsula
      • Southern Peninsula
      • Western Port
    • Sports
      • Fitness
      • Pre School Sports
      • Sports Classes and Tuition
  • Services
    • Health & Wellbeing
      • Dental
      • Health Care Practitioners
      • Hospitals
      • Support Groups
    • Pregnancy & Baby
      • Prenatal
        • Pre Natal Care/Birth Support
        • Pre Natal Fitness & Wellbeing
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Maternity Products
      • PostNatal
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Post Natal Support & Wellbeing
    • Special Needs
      • Activities for Special Needs
      • Support for Special Needs
      • Therapists for Special Needs
    • Education & Childcare
      • Daycare
      • Kindergartens
      • Schools
    • Finance
      • Finance
    • Photography
      • Photography
    • Child Safety & Wellbeing
      • Child Safety/First Aid
      • Emergency Numbers
  • Articles
    • Education
    • Finances
    • Health
    • Parenting Articles
    • Places to Eat
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Reviews
    • Member Questions
  • Parties
    • Celebrate – Party Ideas
    • Entertainment
    • Suppliers
    • Venues
  • Giveaways
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Testimonials
  • Giveaways
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Sunday, July 6
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Testimonials
  • Giveaways
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
Peninsula Kids
  • Home
  • What’s On
    • Events
    • Add an Event
    • Major Event
    • School Holiday Guide
  • Things To Do
    • Free Activities
      • Coastal Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
      • Picnic Spots
      • Playgrounds
      • Pram Walks
      • Rainy Day Activities
      • Walks and Bike Rides
    • Places to Visit
      • Attractions
      • Day Trips Away From The Peninsula
      • Galleries & Libraries
      • Historical
      • Markets
      • Tourism Centres
    • Places to Eat
      • Cafes
      • Restaurants
      • Wineries
    • Places To Stay
      • Accommodation
    • Shopping
      • Baby Goods – Sale & Hire
      • Child Friendly Shops
      • Made on the Peninsula
      • Online
      • Retail
    • At Home
      • Craft
      • Games
      • Recipes
  • Classes & Groups
    • Creative
      • Art and Craft
    • Playgroups
      • Central and Northern Peninsula
      • Southern Peninsula
      • Western Port
    • Sports
      • Fitness
      • Pre School Sports
      • Sports Classes and Tuition
  • Services
    • Health & Wellbeing
      • Dental
      • Health Care Practitioners
      • Hospitals
      • Support Groups
    • Pregnancy & Baby
      • Prenatal
        • Pre Natal Care/Birth Support
        • Pre Natal Fitness & Wellbeing
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Maternity Products
      • PostNatal
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Post Natal Support & Wellbeing
    • Special Needs
      • Activities for Special Needs
      • Support for Special Needs
      • Therapists for Special Needs
    • Education & Childcare
      • Daycare
      • Kindergartens
      • Schools
    • Finance
      • Finance
    • Photography
      • Photography
    • Child Safety & Wellbeing
      • Child Safety/First Aid
      • Emergency Numbers
  • Articles
    • Education
    • Finances
    • Health
    • Parenting Articles
    • Places to Eat
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Reviews
    • Member Questions
  • Parties
    • Celebrate – Party Ideas
    • Entertainment
    • Suppliers
    • Venues
  • Giveaways
Peninsula Kids
Home»Parenting Articles»The dark side of social media and how to tread carefully
Parenting Articles

The dark side of social media and how to tread carefully

Updated:July 14, 20214 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

By Andrew Muir, Founder of Momatu

Alarming statistics show that more than 80% of children have an online presence before the age of two, and the average child has almost 1,500 images of them posted online before their fifth birthday –– yikes!

While social media is a wonderful way to share your child’s special moments with friends and family, many parents forget that these people won’t necessarily be the only ones who are privy to them. For this reason, it’s no wonder that experts are increasingly cautioning parents against “sharenting”, a term to describe parents who incessantly share posts and photos of their children to social media.

A recent report by OFCOM in the UK found that while many parents do share images of their children online, 56% of parents don’t. Of these non-sharers, 87% said they actively chose not to in order to protect their child’s privacy. In addition to privacy, common concerns of parents that were cited in the report were the risk of images they posted being used in a sexual nature, or for the purpose of stalking and even kidnapping.

It goes without saying that most people have good intentions when sharing images of their children online. And let’s face it, we all want to celebrate and share our children’s proudest and more precious moments with those closest to us. What we need to keep in mind though is that sharing these on social media means that the hundreds of ‘friends’ (and their friends, and friends of friends) that we’ve accumulated over the years are also often able to view them.

This is not to say that people should stop posting photos of their kids altogether, but rather that they should be aware of the risks in doing so, and take any reasonable step they can to ensure they are protecting their children’s privacy online.

Ways to keep your child safe when sharing online

Be Aware of Your Privacy Settings

Most social media platforms offer custom privacy settings. For any albums or images that include photos of your children, set the privacy setting controls to custom, which allows you to choose the people that can see your photos. At a minimum, always make sure these settings are set to ‘friends’ and not ‘friends of friends’ or ‘public’.

It’s also worth checking regularly that your social media accounts are set to private as app updates and software changes can alter your settings.

Turn off Geolocation Tagging

It’s easy to forget that social media posts often provide indicators that enable viewers to easily identify your location. Platforms including Instagram and Facebook are required by law to ask if you’d like them to use your current location; however if you’re ever prompted with this question and you’re posting a photo of your child, select ‘no’.

Further to this, if revealing your location is a concern, it’s best to avoid posting photos with telling landmarks or identifiable features such as restaurant names in the background.

Lower Your Resolution

Believe it or not, people often pull images of kids from the internet to use in advertising material. By lowering the resolution of the photos you’re posting online, they’re less likely to be able to print or enlarge the images.

Use a Private Photo Sharing App

There are a number of private photo sharing apps that parents can use to keep track of and share their child’s most important memories in a fun and safe way.

Momatu is just one example. It’s a new free private social media platform that was created with the expressed purpose to provide parents with a place to connect, and share their children’s most precious moments, with only those closest to them.

Users of the app can capture, sort and co-create their family’s history into beautiful timelines that can be shared and enjoyed by only the people they’ve invited. And this way parents can post to their heart’s content, and rest assured that they know exactly who is viewing their photos.

Momatu provides parents with their own private space to connect, and share their child’s most precious memories with only those closest to them. It’s a digital timeline app that allows parents to capture and sort their little one’s milestones and moments into sophisticated timelines that can be viewed and interacted with by only those they have invited. Momatu also allows users to design and print their timelines into beautiful, hard-copy photobooks that can be kept and enjoyed for years to come.

Peninsula Kids – Autumn 2019

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Comments are closed.

Calendar
Today
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
28
29
30
31
1
2
12:00 AM - RESET
9:00 AM - Red Hill Community Market
7:15 PM - AFLW - Round 1 Hawthorn vs Essendon
3
11:00 AM - DAD SKATES FREE on Father's Day at Sk8house
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
12:00 AM - KICKBrick Toys school holiday hire
16
9:30 AM - PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie adventure at SEA LIFE Melbourne
10:00 AM - Spring School Holidays at Boneo Discovery Park
17
9:00 AM - Mt Martha Briars Market
18
19
20
21
22
23
9:00 AM - Little Beauty Market
24
9:00 AM - Point Nepean Portsea Market
25
26
27
28
29
11:00 AM - Celebrate the AFL Grand Final Long Weekend at Sk8house
30
1
RESET
02 Sep
September 2, 2023    
All Day
Fed Square
  • Family Activity
  • Festival/Expo
  • School Holidays
  • Workshop/Class
This September, Melbourne’s iconic Fed Square is home to RESET – a month-long festival focussing on biodiversity, connecting with nature, and promoting easy and practical [...]
More Info
Red Hill Community Market
02 Sep
September 2, 2023    
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Red Hill Recreation Reserve
  • Markets
Red Hill is the 'grand dame' of Victoria's craft markets. Located in one of the State's most picturesque settings, Red Hill Community Market started in [...]
More Info
AFLW - Round 1 Hawthorn vs Essendon
02 Sep
September 2, 2023    
7:15 pm - 9:30 pm
Frankston Football Ground
  • Other
✨ AFLW under lights in Frankston was a huge hit and it is back for Round 1 with Hawthorn vs Essendon at Kinetic Stadium. First bounce is [...]
More Info
DAD SKATES FREE on Father's Day at Sk8house
03 Sep
September 3, 2023    
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sk8house
  • Family Activity
This Father's Day, let's show our incredible dads some extra love and appreciation at the Father's Day Skate at Sk8house Date: Sunday Sept 3rd 2023 [...]
More Info
KICKBrick Toys school holiday hire
15 Sep
September 15, 2023 - October 1, 2023    
All Day
  • Family Activity
  • School Holidays
KICKBrick Toys are simple but super fun kids construction toys used to entertain, challenge & teach. The KICKBricks are the same size as a house [...]
More Info
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie adventure at SEA LIFE Melbourne
16 Sep
September 16, 2023 - October 1, 2023    
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
SEALIFE Melbourne Aquarium
  • Family Activity
  • School Holidays
Meet Chase at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium and help the Mighty Pups rescue the missing sea creatures from the supervillains to celebrate the September school [...]
More Info
Spring School Holidays at Boneo Discovery Park
16 Sep
September 16, 2023 - October 1, 2023    
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Boneo Discovery Park
  • Family Activity
  • School Holidays
  • Workshop/Class
Get ready for a fun and creative school holiday experience with our series of Spring-based nature crafts! Join us at Boneo Discovery Park and unleash [...]
More Info
Mt Martha Briars Market
17 Sep
September 17, 2023    
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
The Briars
  • Markets
Situated at one of the Mornington Peninsula’s most beloved and iconic locations, the upcoming Briars Craft and Produce Market will no doubt be a lovely [...]
More Info
Little Beauty Market
23 Sep
September 23, 2023    
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Beauty Park
  • Markets
Little Beauty is a stunning market brought to you by the creators of the super popular Emu Plains Market in Balnarring. This highly curated market [...]
More Info
Point Nepean Portsea Market
24 Sep
September 24, 2023    
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Portsea Quarantine Station Point Nepean National Park
  • Markets
Located in one of the State's most picturesque settings, this market has so much to offer. Flowers bunched and potted spill out onto the walkway [...]
More Info
Celebrate the AFL Grand Final Long Weekend at Sk8house
29 Sep
September 29, 2023 - October 1, 2023    
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sk8house
  • Family Activity
Celebrate the AFL Grand Final Long Weekend at Sk8house! Are you ready for an action-packed long weekend that combines the excitement of footy with the [...]
More Info
Events on September 2, 2023
02 Sep
RESET
2 Sep 23
Melbourne
02 Sep
Red Hill Community Market
2 Sep 23
Red Hill
02 Sep
AFLW - Round 1 Hawthorn vs Essendon
2 Sep 23
Frankston
Events on September 3, 2023
03 Sep
DAD SKATES FREE on Father's Day at Sk8house
3 Sep 23
Carrum Downs
Events on September 15, 2023
15 Sep
KICKBrick Toys school holiday hire
15 Sep 23
Events on September 16, 2023
16 Sep
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie adventure at SEA LIFE Melbourne
16 Sep 23
Melbourne
16 Sep
Spring School Holidays at Boneo Discovery Park
16 Sep 23
Fingal
Events on September 17, 2023
17 Sep
Mt Martha Briars Market
17 Sep 23
Mount Martha
Events on September 23, 2023
23 Sep
Little Beauty Market
23 Sep 23
Frankston
Events on September 24, 2023
24 Sep
Point Nepean Portsea Market
24 Sep 23
Portsea VIC 3944, Australia
Events on September 29, 2023
29 Sep
Celebrate the AFL Grand Final Long Weekend at Sk8house
29 Sep 23
Carrum Downs
Visit Our Advertisers
ABOUT

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

MPNG also publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Instagram
Bring the kids to experience live theatre at Frankston Arts Centre in August!

An instant Australian classic, Beetle by Legs On The Wall tells the story of a child who finds a friend in her backyard; together they embark on an adventure to search for his family, the now elusive Christmas Beetle.

The magic of the bush habitat is brought to life through Legs On The Wall’s trademark physical storytelling, and animation created from original artworks by beloved children’s author and illustrator Freya Blackwood.

A tale of resilience and hope, Beetle reminds young audiences that there’s an important place in the world for all of us. Reminding us of the delicate balance of the natural world and that all things are connected.

This charming, nostalgic and uniquely Australian show invites children and families to join the adventure, encountering larger than life beetles, stick insects, and other bush critters while finding out about the uncanny nature and delicate balance of the bush environment. See it on Friday 22 August at 11am or 6pm at Frankston Arts Centre. Tickets are available at thefac.com.au or by calling 03 9784 1060.

#whatson #fac #kidstheatre #frankstonartscentre #beetlebylegsonthewall
@the_fac
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Bring the kids to experience live theatre at Frankston Arts Centre in August! An instant Australian classic, Beetle by Legs On The Wall tells the story of a child who finds a friend in her backyard; together they embark on an adventure to search for his family, the now elusive Christmas Beetle. The magic of the bush habitat is brought to life through Legs On The Wall’s trademark physical storytelling, and animation created from original artworks by beloved children’s author and illustrator Freya Blackwood. A tale of resilience and hope, Beetle reminds young audiences that there’s an important place in the world for all of us. Reminding us of the delicate balance of the natural world and that all things are connected. This charming, nostalgic and uniquely Australian show invites children and families to join the adventure, encountering larger than life beetles, stick insects, and other bush critters while finding out about the uncanny nature and delicate balance of the bush environment. See it on Friday 22 August at 11am or 6pm at Frankston Arts Centre. Tickets are available at thefac.com.au or by calling 03 9784 1060. #whatson #fac #kidstheatre #frankstonartscentre #beetlebylegsonthewall @the_fac
19 hours ago
View on Instagram |
1/9
Pretty much!
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Pretty much!
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
2/9
Epson launches four new EcoTank printers as sales top 100 million and the company remains number one in large ink tank printer sales.

EcoTank inkjet printers are world leaders in providing improved productivity for homes and small businesses for a number of reasons.

Firstly, they come with up to two years’ worth of ink in the box, so you don’t need to worry about suddenly running out or constantly ordering replacements. This also means less user intervention due to fewer replaceable parts, giving you back time to invest in yourself and your business.

There is zero warm-up time and a very fast first page out time with EcoTank printers and this, combined with their unique Heat-Free Technology, saves you time, energy, money and allows you greater flexibility for your home or small business.

The new Epson EcoTank ET-4950, ET-3950, ET-3900 and ET-2950 printers come with a 24 month EcoTank Back to Base Warranty (12 month standard express warranty and an bonus additional 12 months upon registration) and are available now from https://www.epson.com.au/ecotank/, and all authorised Epson stockists.

#epsonecotank #ad @epsonaust @Epson
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Epson launches four new EcoTank printers as sales top 100 million and the company remains number one in large ink tank printer sales. EcoTank inkjet printers are world leaders in providing improved productivity for homes and small businesses for a number of reasons. Firstly, they come with up to two years’ worth of ink in the box, so you don’t need to worry about suddenly running out or constantly ordering replacements. This also means less user intervention due to fewer replaceable parts, giving you back time to invest in yourself and your business. There is zero warm-up time and a very fast first page out time with EcoTank printers and this, combined with their unique Heat-Free Technology, saves you time, energy, money and allows you greater flexibility for your home or small business. The new Epson EcoTank ET-4950, ET-3950, ET-3900 and ET-2950 printers come with a 24 month EcoTank Back to Base Warranty (12 month standard express warranty and an bonus additional 12 months upon registration) and are available now from https://www.epson.com.au/ecotank/, and all authorised Epson stockists. #epsonecotank #ad @epsonaust @Epson
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
2026 kinder registrations are now open!
If your child turns three or four by 30 April next year, they are eligible to attend kinder!

Register before 2 July 2025: www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/kindergarten

#kinder #kinderregistration2026
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
2026 kinder registrations are now open! If your child turns three or four by 30 April next year, they are eligible to attend kinder! Register before 2 July 2025: www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/kindergarten #kinder #kinderregistration2026
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
Elmo’s Circus Dream, a dazzling new live stage spectacular making its world premiere at Caulfield Racecourse these upcoming July School Holidays from June 27th to August 3rd, 2025.

Tickets and information: https://www.sesamestreetcircus.com.au/

#sesamestreetcircus 

@sesamestreetcircus 
@cavanaghpr
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Elmo’s Circus Dream, a dazzling new live stage spectacular making its world premiere at Caulfield Racecourse these upcoming July School Holidays from June 27th to August 3rd, 2025. Tickets and information: https://www.sesamestreetcircus.com.au/ #sesamestreetcircus @sesamestreetcircus @cavanaghpr
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
❄️ Winter is here! And along with it, a fresh edition on Peninsula Kids magazine. Enjoy flipping through the pages that celebrate the season’s highlights so that you can make the most of the frostier months with your loved ones. 🥰
🌬️ Link to read in bio
————————————————————————————
#peninsulakids #peninsulakidsmagazine #winter #lovepeninsulakids #mpgrown #local #pregnnacyandbaby #creative #education #health #spotlight #recipes
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
❄️ Winter is here! And along with it, a fresh edition on Peninsula Kids magazine. Enjoy flipping through the pages that celebrate the season’s highlights so that you can make the most of the frostier months with your loved ones. 🥰 🌬️ Link to read in bio ———————————————————————————— #peninsulakids #peninsulakidsmagazine #winter #lovepeninsulakids #mpgrown #local #pregnnacyandbaby #creative #education #health #spotlight #recipes
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
#thinkingofyou
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
#thinkingofyou
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
Grab your cameras and hot choccies! Neon Fields returns to glow up Frankston!
When the sun goes down it is time to gather family and friends and venture into Neon Fields. Beauty Park will once again be transformed into a colourful fantasy world where you’re invited to interact and play among the lights during this free event!
——————————————————————————
#southsidefestival #neonfields #frankston #beautypark #visitfrankston #whatson #whatsonthisweekend #thingstodo #freeevent #photoops #lovepeninsulakids 
@southsidefestivalfrankston
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Grab your cameras and hot choccies! Neon Fields returns to glow up Frankston! When the sun goes down it is time to gather family and friends and venture into Neon Fields. Beauty Park will once again be transformed into a colourful fantasy world where you’re invited to interact and play among the lights during this free event! —————————————————————————— #southsidefestival #neonfields #frankston #beautypark #visitfrankston #whatson #whatsonthisweekend #thingstodo #freeevent #photoops #lovepeninsulakids @southsidefestivalfrankston
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
In July, Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg, Senior Neurologist at The RCH Foundation, will embark on a remarkable solo flight around Australia to raise $4.5 million for life-changing treatments for children with rare and complex conditions.

Called Fly for the Kids, this one-of-a-kind fundraiser will help establish dedicated spaces, resources, and specialist staff at the RCH, making advanced therapies — including revolutionary gene therapy — more accessible to sick children across Australia.

Andrew’s journey will see him revisit patients whose lives have been transformed by advanced therapies, putting real faces and stories to the incredible impact of this innovation in paediatric healthcare.

You can learn more about the campaign here: https://flyforthekids.org.au 

@rch.foundation
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
In July, Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg, Senior Neurologist at The RCH Foundation, will embark on a remarkable solo flight around Australia to raise $4.5 million for life-changing treatments for children with rare and complex conditions. Called Fly for the Kids, this one-of-a-kind fundraiser will help establish dedicated spaces, resources, and specialist staff at the RCH, making advanced therapies — including revolutionary gene therapy — more accessible to sick children across Australia. Andrew’s journey will see him revisit patients whose lives have been transformed by advanced therapies, putting real faces and stories to the incredible impact of this innovation in paediatric healthcare. You can learn more about the campaign here: https://flyforthekids.org.au @rch.foundation
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
9/9
View on Instagram
Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay In The Know

Sign up to our free newsletter and receive weekly updates on events and things to do with kids on the Mornington Peninsula.

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
© 2025 All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.