According to a study by the internet security firm AVG, 82 percent of children in 10 developed countries now have a digital presence before the age of 2, CNN reports.
The US topped the list with 92 percent of American children under 2 appearing in online pictures, followed by New Zealand with 91 percent, Canada and Australia both with 84 percent. The study also covered the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
However, only 33 percent of the 2,200 moms studied said they’ve uploaded pictures of their children to the internet. Often it’s the other family members and friends who take the liberty of sharing baby pictures on the Web.
“Everyone likes to look at snapshots of cute babies”, says the CNN article. But it warns that unwittingly disclosing a lot of personal info, such as birth dates, middle names and mothers’ maiden names can aid identity thieves.
"It’s a matter of being aware of what you’re doing," said AVG spokeswoman Siobhan MacDermott. "When you’re posting it to a public forum like Facebook, use privacy settings."
If you get stuck while trying to figure out how to use the privacy settings on Facebook, here is a useful guide from All Facebook, the unofficial Facebook resource site.
