Kate Hudson posted an adorable video with her kids singing “Happy Birthday” to her older brother over the weekend. The problem? She didn’t get consent before uploading it to Instagram.
“Mom, you didn’t ask me if you could post this,” commented her 15-year-old son, Ryder, on the video, followed by an eye roll and laughing emoji.
Luckily, Ryder doesn’t seem too upset about it. But his comment is an important reminder that asking for consent extends beyond our physical bodies.
A 2018 study from The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics, found that kids between the ages of 12 -17 are sending and receiving explicit images, aka “sexting,” more than ever. Fifteen percent of kids in the study engaged in sending explicit content, while 27% received it. The more alarming statistic? 12% of the children admitted to sending such material *without* consent.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Dr. Devorah Heitner, founder of Raising Digital Natives, talked about why it’s so important to get kids’ consent before sharing their pictures online. “It teaches your child that her image is her own. It helps her recognize that sharing is a choice and that some things are private. Because you showed her that consideration and modeled some respect for her privacy, she’ll be more likely to ask before she shares a picture of her friend,” she said.
So, next time you take that adorable picture of your kiddo, make sure you check with him or her before sharing it with the world.
