Ask Amy: Our granddaughter posted video of us. Hereâs what we did
Dear Amy: This seems minor, but here goes: My granddaughter is 11. She is spunky and smart. Precocious.
Recently, she stayed with my husband and me for a few days. It was really a lot of fun.
However – she was using her phone fairly constantly to film things, including us (of course), and our pets. Harmless stuff and I didn’t mind at all.
Well … then I learned that she was posting a lot of these videos on TikTok. I learned this because she showed us.
I was not happy about this – at all – and I sat with her and asked her to delete all of the videos she had posted that were filmed at our house. I watched as she did this.
She’s upset, and my husband disagrees with my choice. Neither of us can decide whether to tell her mom (our daughter).
– TikTok-ed Off
Dear TikTok-ed Off: You did the right thing. Your granddaughter needs to learn about privacy and consent.
She also should not have a TikTok account (until she is 13).
Yes, you should talk to her parents. They might not even realize she has an account.
Their daughter is old enough (and probably clever enough) to create and post a feature-length film. However, she is not old enough or mature enough to understand concepts like risk, privacy, and consent.
This is how she will learn.
You can email Amy Dickinson at [email protected] or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068.