Parents Social Media Account

[Deleted member 18037]

Just curious - is there any way it could hurt them, aside from social media in general? I have a 9yo L3, and I run an Insta for her - she enjoys when I take videos for her and then she'll choose what we post. But she has no control over it and we're not trying to get anything out of it other than a history of her progress and a little bit of fun.

JMO I simply would never post a little child in public settings, especially in a Leo/bathing suit etc….. far too many sickos out there.

My 63 yo self gets a my fair share of FB stalkers when I post on public parenting sites.

I have history of my kids progress on a private you tube channel, a private FB group. And an external hard driveAnd any other areas of SM my settings are set that only people we actually know can see her “growth”. Her godmother, aunts , cousins, etc…..

The public has no need of her history. And “likes” add nothing to her history.

 

[GymAir]

JMO I simply would never post a little child in public settings, especially in a Leo/bathing suit etc….. far too many sickos out there.

This.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Contrary to popular belief, all those Leo companies don’t send free leos. All the ambassadors I know, including my kid, have to pay for their leos, albeit with a discount. Even the clothes some model are “rented” and have to be returned, or they have to be purchased. Just throwing that out there.

 

[ORgymmom]

Contrary to popular belief, all those Leo companies don’t send free leos. All the ambassadors I know, including my kid, have to pay for their leos, albeit with a discount. Even the clothes some model are “rented” and have to be returned, or they have to be purchased. Just throwing that out there.

Is the leo discount a lot? We have ambassador girls at the gym wearing a new leo at every single practice. I can’t imagine how much that would cost, even with a big discount.

 

[josie55]

Just curious - is there any way it could hurt them, aside from social media in general? I have a 9yo L3, and I run an Insta for her - she enjoys when I take videos for her and then she'll choose what we post. But she has no control over it and we're not trying to get anything out of it other than a history of her progress and a little bit of fun.

I think the one watch out is this - gymnastics is a stressful sport in and of itself, and when you make their journey public via social media it can inadvertently add stress and pressure. When they are young the skills tend to come more quickly and the trajectory is more of a straight path, but this changes. It’s bad enough to lose a skill or have a rough few weeks due to your body not cooperating, but when you are also accountable to a public, it’s even harder to deal with. Same with skill acquisition.

I can see the benefits of posting and getting a following as a young gymnast, but also think there are negatives to consider.

 

[JBS]

Just curious - is there any way it could hurt them, aside from social media in general? I have a 9yo L3, and I run an Insta for her - she enjoys when I take videos for her and then she'll choose what we post. But she has no control over it and we're not trying to get anything out of it other than a history of her progress and a little bit of fun.

Not really gymnastics wise. I just wouldn’t post a history of her injuries on there.

 

[AAAinNOLA]

So I own a digital media company and I think it depends what you mean by "my daughter wants IG." My daughter (L6, age 10) has IG *but* by that I mean we have a gym-oriented account that I manage (where we do not accept anything for free and I refuse to "apply" for "ambassador" programs as that's really nothing more than free labor when brands should 100% PAY cash for advertising but I digress). She uses it to (1) document her journey (which as an aside Avery Neff had the COOLEST reel this week of her vault as a young girl versus now) (2) see other people's routines and tricks and (3) get inspirational quotes / advice from mental coaches etc. She does NOT post content and she does NOT DM with anyone. A parent run IG can be useful - depends how you are using it. No clue if she will ever be recruited; for now it's a fun memory book and way to share her journey. Many accounts are promoting leotards and grips and gear all the time - we just unfollow b/c I am not on board with that philosophically based on my own career. I don't think social media is all bad IF (and this is a big if) it is monitored, parent led and the gymnast can handle it. But do you "need" it at that level? No. Only if you "want" it for some reason.

 

[AAAinNOLA]

Just curious - is there any way it could hurt them, aside from social media in general? I have a 9yo L3, and I run an Insta for her - she enjoys when I take videos for her and then she'll choose what we post. But she has no control over it and we're not trying to get anything out of it other than a history of her progress and a little bit of fun.

Unless she is posting inappropriate things or something, I do not think so. The ONE thing I'd be cautious of is she starts to become obsessive over it, like asking to check it all the time or spend time looking at it all the time OR if it starts to affect her mentally (like if a bad meet and she's upset you might post the scores, etc). You know your girl the best! If you are monitoring it though the possibility of bullying and such is way lower. I think it's technically against the IG terms of service for kids to even have their own account which is why the bio should say "parent run" and tag the parent.