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Mom fights back after sons picture used in cruel Internet meme
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A mom whose son was born with a genetic disorder is on a crusade to get his picture taken off the Internet after it was turned into an offensive meme. - photo by Tracie Snowder
SAN ANTONIO, Texas Like most parents, AliceAnn Meyer started sharing pictures of her son online right after he was born in 2012.

But unlike most social media users, she had a unique reason: to raise awareness about her sons genetic disorder. Jameson Meyer was born with Pfeiffer syndrome, which causes certain skull bones to fuse together too early, according to the National Institutes of Health. This disorder affects the shape of his head and face. Jameson has type 1 so neurologically hes 100 percent normal, Meyer told ABC News, despite having some speech delays.

Meyer shared pictures of their day-to-day lives on her Facebook page, Jamesons Journey, to show that he could live a normal life. She received an overwhelmingly positive response to her sons disorder until she discovered a few weeks ago that someone had turned one of his photos into a cruel Internet meme and it was being shared by thousands.

The photo has been altered. Someone, somewhere, decided for who knows what reason, to take that picture and create a meme comparing my son to a pug, Meyer wrote on her blog. What compels a person to do such a thing I will never understand."

Meyer then began a crusade to get the meme taken down from every site she could find it on. She was successful in getting the picture taken off Twitter within minutes and it was taken off of Instagram within a day. Meyer, along with thousands of her followers, had to fight take the picture down on Facebook. It took over 48 hours and left her frustrated.

"I wish there were more safeguards for our children in circumstances like this," Meyer told today.com. "It seems that if a report by anyone involves a child, the content should immediately be disabled until the issue is reviewed by a staff member.

Shes using the experience to continue to raise awareness about Pfeiffer syndrome and to humanize the little boy in the picture.

To all of you out there that are laughing so hard at my son, know that this in fact could be your child, Meyer wrote. And if one day this does happen to one of you that are out there laughing and making fun, I hope and pray you change your heart and welcome that child with loving arms.

Even though Jameson has some communication delays, he acts like a normal 4-year-old, Meyer told ABC News.

"He's a little prankster. He's very mischievous," she said. "He loves to get a laugh out of people. We hear from his teachers and therapist how much he plays jokes and he's just a super fun kid."

Meyer said she wont stop issuing copyright claims to get the meme taken down and asks if anyone sees the picture, to take a screenshot and share it with her.

You can also report it, as many times as you want. Unfortunately, thats really about it for now, she wrote. Once something is out there, its there. Nonetheless, I refuse not to fight. It is absurd to me that it will ever be ok to target children to degrade and humiliate them.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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