Who's watching...

...The answer is probably not who you think.

It’s getting close to that time of year in Australia! When my Facebook feed lights up with proud parents and small, adorable humans in oversized uniforms and backpacks smiling, excited to be off to their first day at school. And each year, this event makes me wonder the online risk profile our children will have when they are adults.

We are the first generation to have our children born in the digital age. This year’s babies, infants and toddlers haven’t had to work through Facebook’s teething problems, WhatsApp’s security breaches and celebrity photo and data leaks. By the time they are adults, digital security will (hopefully) be more sophisticated, but what about personal security? Do you know what your personal risk appetite is? In other words, do you know what level of risk you are willing to accept or take, in order to achieve or fulfil your objectives?

With children returning to school this month - including my own - I wanted to take the time to reflect on an important education in the conditioning of positive and secure digital behaviours. Before you post your proud parent moment online, ask yourself three questions:

1. What is my personal online risk appetite? Do I care about my digital footprint and am I happy with posting personal moments and information online without checking who can see it and what the company can do with it?
2. What am I wanting to achieve by posting this online? Are we sharing photos with close family and friends? Are we keen for comments, likes, exposure online for that feel good endorphin hit (there’s nothing wrong with saying yes here).
3. Fast forward 10-15 years where these moments are still alive (and in some cases we might not be). Are we – and our children - still happy that they are there?

Let’s start with that first question: Do you know your personal online risk appetite? This applies for anything you post online, but is more relevant at this time of year when there are so many wonderful opportunities to share – Christmas, New Year, school holidays and that first day back. But, here’s what I see when I see these photos; I know you have children and how old they are. I know what they look like and in some cases I know their names. I know what school they go to, and I know approximate drop off and pick up times. If you have location services on or use a route tracker we may even be able to identify the route you took to get there. Sounds creepy, right?

I’m not indicating that first day photos are going to result in kidnapping. Most nefarious activity is financially motivated, they are not about to target your everyday family photo (Let’s be honest, the family net worth to justify such targeting is beyond many of us). My recommendation is to honestly think about where you would draw the line with the level of information that is freely or easily accessible. If you put your family online without a worry, what else could you be placing online that you might not be aware of? And always keep in the back of your mind that you are placing these photos online, on behalf of your children, for online eternity. Your personal behaviour will demonstrate to them how they should handle their risk profile online and condition hopefully positive digital and socially appropriate behaviours for years to come. Would you be comfortable with them as teenagers, placing the same style and level of photos online? If the answer is no, then you may need to revisit the risk profile you’re demonstrating.

We all want the best for our kids and placing their photos online does not bring this in to question. It’s around demonstrating a healthy level of behaviour when engaging online and making sure you’re protecting your privacy and your children’s privacy.

Which brings me to the next two questions - what exactly you are trying to achieve from the posts and if you fast forward 10-15 years to the future, are you (and your children) still happy that those photos exist?

I prompted this article with the question of “who’s watching.” The most important answer to a question that has so many responses is “Our Children”. We want them to be safe, to engage thoughtfully and take calculated risks. This is perhaps the most appropriate audience we need to watch; by demonstrating awareness of risks and responding without panicking, we can protect future generations. You might be getting what you want from those posts, but our children will adopt and learn from our online engagement practices.

Some quick but significant facts for you - One in three children in high school experiences cyberbullying and double that are witnesses to a cyber bullying event. Target groups are female, the LGBTQ+ community and vulnerable students and consistent cyberbullying can lead to self-harm or worse. Frighteningly most witnesses do not intervene and many victims do not report, so these incidents can go unnoticed. So just to ask the question again, will the photos you’re uploading or the risk appetite that they’ve learnt from you equip them to handle these situations in the future?

The purpose of my article today was not to scare, it is to make ourselves aware the reasons behind our actions and make sure that they are still the right actions to take – or demonstrate. We can and need to better set ourselves to having an online future proofed mindset and an awareness of personal privacy and security.

Reflecting on the “what if’s” aids my team and I professionally in how we design and develop our products to be safe and secure, and it’s a mindset I’ve taken into my own personal life. It is also a trait I want my children to inherit; as we move to a more digitized world, missteps or poorly conditioned social behaviours can lead to drastic consequences. So… what guidance would I offer as we move from one celebration to the next:

• Be critical and honest about the need to post and ask yourself the ‘why’ and ‘what if’ questions to be comfortable with your actions
• Ensure your content can only be seen by family members or close members and even look at blurring our faces of young children
• Make sure you are using a secure social media platform.
• Ensure that you’ve implemented appropriate security controls provided by social media platforms. Note that sometimes these are not ‘out of the box’ and free.
• Start engaging with those around you; get permission to take photos, ask that they undertake similar practices.
• Review and, if necessary, adjust your online behaviour in front of your children to demonstrate a regard for personal privacy, security and online presence
• When your children do begin to have an online presence, educate, monitor and equip themselves and yourselves with the right information and the right technology. Open the conversation and keep it open to help support them as they navigate what could be confronting exchanges.