Instagram Punishment Gone Viral

[tropicsgoddess]

The mother of the 12 year old allowed her to open her own instagram account after giving the talk on do's and dont's of social media. The 12 year old took a picture of herself with an unopened bottle of liquor and captioned it with "I wish I could drink this". After the mother saw it, she posted a pic of the daughter (not showing the daughter's face) holding up a sign that said “Since I want to post photos of me holding liquor, I am obviously not ready for social media and will be taking a hiatus until I learn what I should and should not post. Bye-bye :-(” and had that posted on the daughter's instagram account as well as her own Facebook account. Needless to say, that went viral and garnered a lot of support with what the mother did.


I believe it's crucial that kids have the talk on the do's and dont's of social media and should know about the consequences and dangers of posting inappropriate pics of themselves among other things. I think the punishment fit the crime to be honest.

Link!

[fireheart17]

While humiliation isn't a positive thing, I feel that this was handled a lot better than the last time we had a social media story along these lines (and not the destruction of property either)

Although the mother's jump from vodka to underwear is a bit steep.

And one other thing...if the kid had a bottle of liquor and was taking a photo with it, then I suspect that mum has other things to worry about than her kid posting inappropriate photos...how on earth does a 12-year-old get a bottle of liquor?!

[Andara Bledin]

She yanked it out of the liquor cabinet. A lot of households have those.

And while I applaud that she knew better than to actually get into the liquor itself, you just don't post pictures of that nature online as a minor.

As with the last story of this nature going around, the parent meted out the punishment in the same format as the infraction. I don't really have a problem with that.

^-.-^

[Greenday]

how on earth does a 12-year-old get a bottle of liquor?!

LOL Seriously? You pick a battle and just take it.

[fireheart17]

She yanked it out of the liquor cabinet. A lot of households have those.

And while I applaud that she knew better than to actually get into the liquor itself, you just don't post pictures of that nature online as a minor.

As with the last story of this nature going around, the parent meted out the punishment in the same format as the infraction. I don't really have a problem with that.

^-.-^

So you lock the liquor cabinet?!

And as for the last story of this nature, shooting a laptop isn't exactly "eye for an eye".

[KnitShoni]

So you lock the liquor cabinet?!

And as for the last story of this nature, shooting a laptop isn't exactly "eye for an eye".

Locking a liquor cabinet does not guarantee a teenager won't get into it.

[Andara Bledin]

So you lock the liquor cabinet?!

I prefer to try to world-proof the child as opposed to trying to child-proof the world. Not only is it more likely to work, but it's better for everybody involved, especially the child.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

My problem is that the first reaction is almost never, "My kid did something stupid I should educate them as to why it is stupid" It's always "My kid did something stupid time for punishment."

To me it's like punishing a child for touching a hot stove when they are too young to know better. We like to act like the internet has been around forever and we are all so world wise to the consequences of pictures like that but in truth many of us were unprepared for the fallout of stupid pictures so turning around and punishing our kids instead of educating them about how it could negatively effect their lives feels like bad parenting.

Yes if they keep up the bad behavior then yes punishment should follow but it should never be the first response. I know kids that were never punished because when their parents taught them why something was a bad idea they usually understood and listened.

[Andara Bledin]

We like to act like the internet has been around forever and we are all so world wise to the consequences of pictures like that but in truth many of us were unprepared for the fallout of stupid pictures so turning around and punishing our kids instead of educating them about how it could negatively effect their lives feels like bad parenting.

First, for some, including some of the people who are members of this forum, the Internet has been around forever; they never knew the world before it. Second, what we knew before is irrelevant because it's now and there's no point in operating like the past didn't happen. Finally, punishment and education are not mutually exclusive and if done properly can be the same thing; but no punishment at all after setting rules and declaring consequences is worse than no education at all.

^-.-^

[Kelmon]

Maybe this is because i'm not from the US, but why exactly is that picture a problem in the first place?

Would it be equally inappropriate if she took a picture in front of a car, captioned "I wish I could drive that"?

[draco664]

I prefer to try to world-proof the child as opposed to trying to child-proof the world. Not only is it more likely to work, but it's better for everybody involved, especially the child.

^-.-^

This is quite possibly the most insightful thing I've read in a long time.

[tropicsgoddess]

Maybe this is because i'm not from the US, but why exactly is that picture a problem in the first place?

Would it be equally inappropriate if she took a picture in front of a car, captioned "I wish I could drive that"?

The legal drinking age in the US is 21. Sure it seems tame that a 12 year old took a picture of herself with an unopened bottle of liquor. But the big deal about it is that she's a minor and shouldn't even have that on her. More so is that unfortunately you have these creeps online that are attracted to shit like that as much as the young girls that have pics of themselves in provocative poses and/or outfits. Plus there's also the prospective colleges and/or employers that frown on not just lewd pictures and/or jokes on your profile but also pictures with drug and/or alcohol references.

[crashhelmet]

To me it's like punishing a child for touching a hot stove when they are too young to know better. We like to act like the internet has been around forever and we are all so world wise to the consequences of pictures like that but in truth many of us were unprepared for the fallout of stupid pictures so turning around and punishing our kids instead of educating them about how it could negatively effect their lives feels like bad parenting.

You need a better example for your argument. A little kid that burns themselves on a hot stove doesn't know better. Curiosity takes over and they touch it.

This is a 12 year old kid that posted a pic saying "I Sure wish I could drink this" meaning full well that she knows that she cannot. She knows full well that she isn't allowed to even possess the bottle.

[Mytical]

For those who are not sure why this picture is bad..I will try to explain. Supplying an underage person alcohol is bad. The picture (apparently) was taken inside the house of the girls parents..and could be viewed as them supplying their underage daughter with alcohol (even if she snuck it, doesn't matter a bit). Children services could yank the child, police could fine/arrest the parents (probably wouldn't but they COULD), and who knows what else. So..yeah..that picture is bad.

I think the punishment fits the crime *shrugs*

[Rageaholic]

I normally hate parents who use public humiliation to punish their kids, but this one actually makes sense. She posted a humiliating picture that could have caused a lot of damage. It fits the crime, unlike other instances where the parents just want to show the world how tough they are.