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92-Percent of U.S. Babies Have an Online Presence, Study Finds

by Amar Toor on October 7, 2010 at 06:10 PM

Facebook BabiesBabies born today aren't just born into the age of Facebook, they're born on Facebook.

According to a new study conducted by Research Now, 92-percent of all American babies have some form of online presence by the time they reach the age of two. After surveying 2,200 mothers of young children in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and several other developed countries, researchers discovered that American moms are the most likely to post their babies' pictures and information online. One-third of all U.S. mothers surveyed say they've posted pictures of their newborns online, while 34-percent admitted to posting sonograms of their kids in utero. The study also found that the so-called 'digital birth' for most newborns takes place at around 6 months of age, although a full third of all children have their photos posted online within two weeks of their actual births.


J.R. Smith, Chief Executive of security firm AVG, which commissioned the study, told CNET that he understands "why proud parents would want to upload and share images of very young children with friends and families," but thinks they should keep in mind that they're "creating a digital history for a human being that will follow him or her for the rest of their life." It certainly sounds like fodder for future embarrassment, but if most future adults have their own digital baby trails anyway, is it really embarrassing?

Tags: babies, DigitalHistory, facebook, family, kids, mother, parents, photos, privacy, SocialNetworking, study, web

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