TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Hashtags are a fun way to express a photo on social media or connect with similar posts, but a Florida organization has a warning for parents who post images of their children online.
Their warning: Choose your hashtags wisely.
The non-profit Child Rescue organization has published a new report with common hashtags that pedophiles search for online as they canvas social media for images of young children.
The hashtags include: #kidsbathroom #kidsbedroom #childbath #bathchild #bathtimefun #splishsplash #sinkbath #cleanbabies #bathtime #kidsbathtime #kidsbathtub #bathtubkids #cleankids #kidsbathing #childbathing #bathtimebaby #bathtimefuntime
The study found that 90% of children have been featured on social media by the age of 2 and 89% of parents haven’t checked their privacy settings in more than a year.
“The places child predators lurk and gather information are greater than ever,” the study states. “They have poisoned certain social sharing platforms, digital apps, and even video games.”
The group advises that parents should pause before they post and consider how the images they post of their children might fall into the wrong hands.