Telling your kids not to post photos of themselves is *not* the answer

That's said so blithely, by so many people. And I couldn't disagree more.

Not posting photos doesn't make the problem go away. It may reduce it, and it may defer it, but one way or the other, your kids will have to deal with unwanted advances—online or off. The moral of the story is that this is an excellent opportunity to teach your kids _how_ to deal with unwanted advances. Much, much better to deal with it the first time in a safe virtual environment, than wait until they are on their own, or facing it in the real world.

Anyone who tells their kids to not post photos and then walks away thinking the problem is solved has just done their kids (and themselves) a major disservice. They've swept the issue under the carpet, and done nothing to educate their kids. I don't seriously thing that Christopher Dawson really thinks that's all that parents should do—he talks about comprehensive education as well. But unfortunately, I think the message that parents will take away from that article is the simplistic moral. And that does more harm than good.

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