You take a great photo of your kid at a hockey game.
Maybe they scored a big goal, won a tournament or had one of those moments you know they'll remember for years.
Naturally, you want to share it.
And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
But before posting, I'd encourage parents to consider something that probably doesn't cross their minds often enough.
How much information about your child are you actually sharing in that one post?
Because sometimes it's a lot more than the photo itself.
Their name, jersey number, team, arena, location and schedule might all be visible. And when you combine that with what you've already shared on your own social media accounts, you're potentially making quite a bit of information about your child publicly accessible.
I'm not suggesting parents should never post photos of their kids playing hockey.
But I do think we need to be more thoughtful about what we're sharing, who can see it and whether all that information needs to be public.
A hockey photo can reveal more than you think.
I think this is one of the easiest things to overlook.
You post a photo of your child celebrating a goal.
Their jersey identifies the team. The scoreboard or arena signage reveals where they're playing. Maybe you've tagged the tournament or mentioned that they're back on the ice tomorrow morning.
Individually, those details probably seem harmless.
But together, they can tell someone quite a bit about your child's activities and whereabouts.
And that's before you consider what might already be available through team websites, tournament schedules and other social media accounts.
It's not particularly difficult to connect that information.
I'd be especially cautious about sharing real-time locations, upcoming game schedules or details about where your family is staying during tournaments.
There's a difference between posting a photo after you've left the arena and announcing exactly where your child will be for the next several hours.
You can share the moment without sharing your child's location and schedule with the entire internet.
Sometimes that simply means waiting until after the game to post.
Other times, it might mean cropping a photo, removing a location tag or choosing not to include certain details in the caption.
Small decisions can make a difference.
Who actually needs to see it?
This is something I raised in another article about why we're marketing children's sports teams.
We've become so accustomed to sharing children's activities publicly that I think we sometimes forget there are other options.
If the goal is to show grandparents a great goal your child scored, does the video need to be publicly available?
If you're sharing tournament photos with extended family, would a private album accomplish the same thing?
And if you're posting a highlight because you hope a coach or scout might see it, is social media actually the most effective way to reach that person?
Those are different objectives.
And I think it's worth choosing how you share based on what you're trying to accomplish.
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents to consider their audience, use privacy settings and involve children in decisions about sharing their images online.
That makes sense to me.
Wanting someone to see something doesn't automatically mean everyone needs access to it.
And while private accounts and group chats aren't completely risk-free, they can help limit how widely information is shared.
Your child should have a say in what's posted.
I think this is particularly important as kids get older.
Just because you're comfortable posting something about your child doesn't necessarily mean they are.
Maybe they don't want a video of a mistake they made during a game shared online.
Maybe they're embarrassed by a photo.
Maybe they're perfectly happy having their grandparents see something but don't want it posted publicly.
And sometimes, they simply don't want their hockey experience documented for other people.
I think all of those are reasonable boundaries.
I'd encourage parents to ask before posting, particularly when the content involves something personal.
And not in a way that makes the child feel like saying no would be disappointing.
Something as simple as:
"Hey, I love this photo. Are you okay if I post it, or would you rather I just send it to family?"
The answer might change as they get older.
A child who loved appearing in every team photo at nine might feel completely differently at fourteen.
And that's okay.
Your child should be allowed to change their mind about how much of their life they want to share publicly.
I'd also encourage parents to respect requests to remove content.
That doesn't guarantee every copy will disappear, particularly if something has already been shared or downloaded.
But it does show your child that their boundaries matter.
What about the other kids in the photo?
This is another area where I think parents need to be careful.
Just because you're comfortable sharing your child's photo doesn't mean every other family on the team feels the same way.
Some parents intentionally limit their children's online presence.
Others may have personal or safety-related reasons for not wanting their child's image published.
And they shouldn't have to explain those reasons to everyone.
If you're posting a team photo, highlight video or tournament recap, it's worth considering whether other children are identifiable.
That might mean checking the team's photo-sharing policy, cropping a photo or asking permission before publishing something.
I also think certain moments should simply stay off social media.
Locker rooms. Injuries. Emotional moments after difficult games. Discipline issues. A player visibly upset on the bench.
Not every moment that happens during a sporting event needs to become public content.
Being allowed to take a photo doesn't automatically mean it's appropriate to publish it.
And I think that's an important distinction for parents, coaches and anyone managing team social media accounts.
Be careful about who you're sending your child's footage to.
This is something I expect we'll see more of as AI tools become increasingly accessible.
A company offers to create a free highlight reel.
An Instagram account messages you about a player evaluation.
A service promises to analyze your child's skating, hockey IQ or development potential using AI.
Maybe all you need to do is upload a few videos.
Sounds pretty convenient.
And some of these services may be perfectly legitimate.
But I think parents need to understand what happens to their child's information once it's uploaded.
Free doesn't necessarily mean there's no exchange of value.
If you're providing video footage, photos, player information or access to your child's likeness, you're giving the company something it may be able to use.
Before uploading anything, I'd want to understand:
- Who's receiving the content? Is it an established business, and can you verify who's behind it?
- What will they do with it? Create a highlight reel, provide an assessment or something else?
- Will it be published? And if so, where and for how long?
- Can they use it for other purposes? Advertising, portfolios, product development or AI training?
- Can you request deletion? And what happens to copies or information already shared with others?
I'd also pay attention to the terms you're agreeing to.
Permission to create one highlight reel shouldn't be assumed to mean permission to use your child's image in future advertising.
And uploading a video for an assessment doesn't necessarily mean you're comfortable having that footage used to train an AI model.
Those are different uses, and families should understand what's being authorized.
If the company can't clearly explain how it handles the content, I'd be hesitant to send it.
Privacy settings help. But they don't give you complete control.
I think there's a tendency to assume that if an account is private, everything shared through it stays private.
Unfortunately, that's not necessarily how it works.
Someone can screenshot a photo, save a video or share information outside the original audience.
And once content has been copied or redistributed, removing the original post doesn't guarantee that every other version disappears.
That doesn't mean privacy settings are pointless.
Quite the opposite.
I'd encourage parents to use them and limit who can access their children's information.
But I wouldn't treat a private account as permission to share absolutely everything.
The same questions still apply.
Is this something your child wants shared?
Does the audience need this information?
Could it create a problem if someone outside that audience saw it?
And is there a less-public way to accomplish the same thing?
You don't need to turn every post into a safety assessment.
I don't think parents need another complicated list of things to worry about.
Especially when they're just trying to celebrate something their child accomplished.
But I do think it's worth establishing a few habits.
Before posting, take a second to look at the whole thing.
Not just the photo, but the caption, tags, location and any identifying details in the background.
I'd keep a few general boundaries in mind:
- Avoid sharing your child's real-time location or upcoming schedule publicly.
- Be mindful of names, jersey numbers, school information and other identifying details.
- Check with your child before sharing, particularly as they get older.
- Respect other families' preferences about their children appearing online.
- Think carefully before uploading photos or footage to unfamiliar third-party services.
- Consider whether the content could be shared privately instead.
None of those things should be particularly difficult to incorporate into how we already use social media.
And I think they're reasonable considerations when the content involves children.
Just because something is allowed doesn't mean it's a good idea.
One final thing I think is worth mentioning.
Parents sometimes assume that laws designed to protect children's online privacy also determine whether it's appropriate for them to post photos of their children.
But that's not necessarily the case.
For example, the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) primarily regulates how certain websites and online services collect and handle personal information from children under 13.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, COPPA generally doesn't apply simply because an adult uploads a photo of a child to a general-audience platform.
That doesn't mean the photo is automatically appropriate to share.
And it doesn't mean every possible use of that image is permitted.
Platform terms, organizational policies and applicable privacy laws may all be relevant.
But I think there's a bigger point here.
We shouldn't need a law or policy to tell us to think carefully about how much of our children's lives we're putting online.
We can share the memories without sharing everything.
I don't think parents should feel guilty for wanting to celebrate their kids.
Hockey is a huge part of life for a lot of families.
The friendships, tournaments, big goals and little moments along the way are worth remembering.
Take the pictures. Record the videos. Share the memories.
But remember that your child is the person who will ultimately live with the digital footprint being created.
And they may not feel the same way about that content five or ten years from now.
The question isn't whether you're allowed to share something. It's whether you need to share it publicly, with that much information, in the first place.
Sometimes the answer will be yes.
Other times, a private message, a cropped photo or waiting until after the game will accomplish exactly what you wanted.
I don't think we need to stop sharing our children's accomplishments.
I think we just need to be more thoughtful about what we're making public.
For more guidance on youth hockey, social media safety and athlete partnerships, visit the Player Partnerships Parents Hub.