Shine OnParents ‘punish’ teen daughter by uploading embarrassing pics on her Facebook page
Parents have to be pretty creative about discipline these days, since "Go to your room," no longer cuts it.
Because if you're like most kids, your room is stacked with electronic devices that offer you swift passage to the World Wide Web, making it the destination of choice rather than a punishment.
So when their teen daughter "got fresh" with them, two Wisconsin parents decided to pull out the big guns.
Not only did they take away the girl's social lifeline (i.e. her cell phone) for a week, they used the most effective teen disciplinary tactic known to humankind. Mom and Dad embarrassed the crap out of her by using her phone to post goofy photos of themselves on her Facebook page.
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And as the Daily Mail reports, the girl's brother took it into the mortification stratosphere by posting the evidence on Reddit, thus ensuring that, instead of just her peer group, the entire planet now knows about it.
"My parents took away my sister's phone for the week," their son writes under the username AustinMac. "They've uploaded about 10 of these to her Facebook. Doing it right!"
Reaction to the unusual tactic has been divided. Some commenters have commiserated with the daughter, with Reddit user "rohinton" writing, "Something like this would have been about the most horrifying experience of my life. I feel for the sister."
Others have applauded the couple's sense of humour and recalled their own techniques for teaching their kids a lesson.
But it also brings up the question of whether the Internet is the best place to air our family grievances. While the daughter undoubtedly learned a lesson about behavioural consequences, this photo of her parents will exist online long after she might become a parent herself (although she'll hopefully be able to laugh about it by then).
And this particular example is far less humiliating than some of the other ways parents have used social media to discipline their children.
Also see: Can too many photos be harmful to kids?
A Texas mother's plan to teach her daughter about the dangers of posting incriminating photos online backfired, when the image she posted to punish her child ended up going viral.
A Houston Chronicle blog notes that author ReShonda Tate Billingsley discovered an Instagram photo of her 12-year-old holding a bottle from her father's alcohol collection with the caption "Wish I could drink this Vodka."
To prove a point about responsible Internet use, Billingsley then posted a picture of the girl holding a sign that read, "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."
The shot on her daughter's Instagram profile quickly racked up tens of thousands of shares, making the Wisconsin couple's social media transgressions seem merciful in comparison.
What do you think about this form of discipline? Effective life lesson or cruel and unusual punishment?
