The story, titled “Guardians of Their Smiles,” delves into the pros and cons (mostly cons) of posting pictures of your kids on social networking sites. The lead anecdote focuses on a parent who was shocked to find that someone had stolen the likeness and identity of her toddler. She’s not the only one in the story to experience this same situation.

While the piece gets bogged down in the middle with a section about the differences between pictures of kids with and without clothes, overall it’s a decent take on a sensitive issue.

I’ve been relatively outspoken about my disdain for pictures of minors in quasi-public forums since L was born (and therefore, since I started this blog). A few weeks ago, I had to put my money where my mouth has been, asking a friend of mine to take down a (totally adorable) picture of his son and L chilling together in L’s pup-tent.

Powergirl was convinced after my request that this dude and his wife would no longer be our friends. Instead, he totally understood, and took the photo down immediately.

The bottom line is that it’s never too late to take a stand and protect the privacy of your kids online. Sites like Facebook don’t have to become the new family photo albums. You don’t *really* need a picture of your kid where your own (public, by the way) profile photo should go.

I know I’m being didactic, here, parents, but it’s time to wise up. Until your kids can engage in social networking on their own, they have no place on these sites, period.