When we vacationed at the beach last year, my daughter asked me to take some pictures of her and then asked me to help her pick appropriate ones to post. The only images of her in a two-piece that appear on Instagram are ones that I have taken and we approved together.
Teach your daughter the importance of modesty online.
3. Her entire life
We should all be living our best life offline. Social media should only contain a fraction of the goodness that is really going on in our lives. All of us know people who post every detail of their days online. We know where they are, who they’re with, what they’re doing and what food they are eating. There is nothing interesting about the person who puts every minute of their life continuously on social media.
Teach your daughter to think of Instagram as a snapshot of her life not a diary of her entire existence.
4. Images to hurt another
My daughter knows I don’t think it’s a good idea to post big group photos of girls at parties because someone will inevitably be hurt by the fact they weren’t included in the fun. Not worth it. I ask her to always think of others before posting something on Instagram. On the other hand, I also tell her that she can’t always worry about how someone else might react to her photo either.
Teach your daughter that if she questions whether she should post something, to trust her instinct and forgo it.
5. Material Purchases
This is an absolute no-no. Never post new shoes, new clothes, new electronics, new anything. Who cares? We want to raise kids of humility who aren’t defined by the things they own. The haul and unboxing videos on YouTube are a prime example of what not to do.
Teach your daughter that social media is to be used for highlighting her relationships and experiences, not to brag about purchased material items.
6. Inappropriate comments
Not only do people view our original posts but they also see what we comment on friend’s pictures.
A teacher alerted me to some smiley, yet off-color comments that were made on one of my daughter’s posts. She talked with her and explained to the other girls why they needed to rethink and remove their comments.
Teach your daughter to understand that the comments she makes and receives matter as much as her posts.
7. Anything negative
College admissions officers will absolutely pull up our daughter’s social media accounts one day. Questionable language and negative posts can make the school of her dreams hesitant in accepting her a few years from now. Help your child understand that how she represents herself online today will matter later.
Let’s teach our daughters that how they represent themselves on social media can affect their future positively or negatively.
Yes, the likes, followers and positive feedback all matter to our daughters.
