The Dangers of Social Media - It May Not Be What You Think

Nowadays, who's complete life isn't on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other similar form of social media? Starting out small, social media has reshaped the way people connect with each other. It allows people, who are usually hard to keep in touch with, stay connected.
But, what if that was a bad thing?
There are increasing reports of parents accepting friend requests on Facebook and other social media sites from complete strangers. Through city check-ins, uploaded photos of their children and status updates, potential predators are figuring out where the children of these parents are and taking them.
Although these kidnappings are more common among teenagers, the abductions of toddlers and infants are growing in the U.S.
F.B.I. Special Agent Mike Conrad stated, "We're seeing probably three to five [infant abductions] a week nationwide. It's not that rare."
A less frightening, but no less alarming, threat via social media is what's called "digital kidnapping." In these instances, people are saving photos of children that they are no way connected to and making up elaborate back stories. These digital kidnappers build a whole new, fictional life around the acquired photos.
One Instagram user and mother of three reported that she received messages from a woman who claimed that her child was in fact, the message sender's.
"The women told me they saw a photo of my baby daughter [and said that] was her son Wyatt. [The women] said he was a preemie, she gave his weight, length, everything. All made up."
Thoroughly freak out yet?
Don't worry. There are simple steps that social media users can practice to protect themselves and their loved ones from potential predators.
1. Never accept friend requests from someone you don't know.
Through activity on your social media account, people can figure out where you work, where your children go to school and when you're not at home. This gives the offender more than enough information to go on.
2. Don't use your child's photo as your profile picture.
What proud parent doesn't want to use a super cute picture of their child as their profile picture? Unfortunately, this gives a clear view of what your child looks like. Try using a picture that doesn't show your child's clearly.
3. Set your profile to "private."
When your account is set to "private" only people that you have approved can view your profile. All your check-ins, photos and status updates will only be able to be viewed by people you have friended.
It may seem paranoid to say that kidnappers can use social media to find their victims, but it is the sad, proven truth. Men and women alike are gathering information and taking children. Taking steps to protect yourself and your family is the only way to be sure that your family is safe.