I'm a little - no, a LOT - fired up right now.
If you have a teenager, you're already navigating the horrible world of social media. Kids are finding drugs on Snapchat, following people who are every parent's worst nightmare, and are just generally running amok online.
I told my kids years ago: "I will never be able to keep up with you and technology. If you screw up, I'm not locking anything because I know you can get into it. I'll just take it away."
I'm dumb about a lot of things, but I still pay the bills.
I've blocked out a lot in this picture, but let me tell you what's going on.
This is on my 15-year-old daughter's Finsta account. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's a "fake Instagram" account. So, if you're following your teenager on Instagram and seeing lovely pictures of him or her with their friends and nothing else...chances are you're missing what they're actually posting on their private Instagram.
Here's the problem
You've probably already seen a few - this is like the parenting version of a Seek-and-Find, but let me break this down for you.
Number 1
This is a picture of my daughter putting both of her middle fingers to her head like guns. She tried to explain to me that this is a joke that's going around. I REALLY DON'T CARE. At the very least it's trashy. At the most, it could be considered much worse.
Number 2
The much worse? We just went through a mass shooting here in Colorado. I don't know what this joke is, but to the outside observer, it's extremely disturbing.
Number 3
What???? It's a private Instagram account! What do you mean "to the outside observer"? I mean the millions of people who can potentially access this because you were dumb enough to post it. Ever heard of a screenshot?
Number 4
Guess what? If Joe Biden can be found guilty of sniffing someone's hair and Brett Kavanaugh can go through an enormous inquiry about sexual misconduct that happened decades ago, you better hope, dear daughter, that if you hope to have a job in leadership of any form this picture doesn't show up. BECAUSE WHEN YOU POST ANYTHING IT'S NOT PRIVATE.
Number 5
Oh, last but not least...those of you who liked the picture? You're going down, too, my friends. Because your names are there. So, if you've "liked" a post that is even remotely out of line...you're complicit as well.
Now what?
Well, for me my 15-year-old won't be earning her driving hours for a bit. Driving requires maturity and good decisions.
What I hope sinks in with the rest of the parents out there is this: Online is FOREVER. I don't care if it's "private" - nothing is private. When you post pictures onto most social media sites, they own them. Seriously - look at the disclosures. For those of you like me who thank God we didn't grow up in an InstaBookDigital age, think of your kids. Think of the things you're SO GLAD no one has a record of (and, yes, they were fun).
And teach your kids to do better.
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