Parent’s judgment a concern for friends

DearAmy: I amwriting to you regarding people sharing pictures of children in the buff on Facebook, Instagramor other social media.

I have a girlfriend who constantly posts naked pictures of her 3-year-old son.

Evenworse, some of these photos were taken on a public beach. To me, this is not only distasteful, but also dangerous.

I discussed this with my mother and her mother, and bothwomen are concerned.

Whenwe suggested to the friend’s mother that she should discuss this with her daughter, she said shewould get defensive and maybe stop talking to her.

I want to confront her about this. How can I approach this?— Fully Clothed

Dear Clothed: I think this practice is risky (and disrespectful to the child, who cannot consent).

Those photos can wind up anywhere (well beyond her own Facebook circle), and the photos of these innocent children can be grabbed and shared by pedophiles, who will hoard and trade them. The pictures will also surface off and on for the rest of the child’s life.

I am not offended by the sight of a nude young child at the beach, but in this day of secret photographing and photo-sharing, I agree that this, too, carries risks.

I suggest sending her a private message and saying, “I really enjoy seeing pictures of your adorable son on Facebook andInstagram, but Iworry that any nude pictures can fall into thewrong hands and be shared well beyond your own circle of trusted friends. I hope you’ll think about possible unintended consequences when you post photos.”

Every young child deserves to have adults in their life who respect and guard their privacy. Children are completely defenseless when it comes to the questionable judgment of their parents.