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With social networking sites all the rage nowadays it is so easy to communicate with family members and loved ones in far away places. Sharing photos of everyday activities and special events has never been easier. Births are one of these special occasions and around the globe people are posting photos of the various stages of their pregnancy, of their newborns or even of their ultrasounds. All this fuss gives babies an online presence that dates back to even before they were born.

The internet security study

In a recent research study conducted by AVG, an internet security company, 81 per cent of toddlers worldwide have a ‘digital footprint’ before the age of two and in the UK 31 per cent of babies have an online presence since birth. According to the study seven per cent of babies under two already have an email address and five per cent an actual profile on these social networking sites.

The method behind the madness

Some mothers that were questioned said they uploaded the photos to share with friends and family, while others claimed they wanted more content on their profiles and some said that they were simply following the current trend. AVG was concerned about the extent of information one might be able to acquire on these babies in future years and the mothers agreed that they were moderately concerned.

What would the babies think?

As the internet becomes a wonderful but dangerous tool for the sharing of photos, perhaps think about your baby being a teenager one day and wonder if she would want her friends to have unlimited access to her naked baby photos. Perhaps it is better to store those photos in an album and bring them out to cries of horror and delight at her 21^st.

Tags: baby