Facebook and other social media outlets have been flooded with hundreds of thousands of baby pictures, sonogram results, kiddie profiles and even infant emails, according to a global study.

The study, conducted by AVG, an internet security firm, found that in the United States an astonishing 92 percent of kids under two have an online presence, according to www.theweek.com. Western Europe lags with a mere 73 percent. Breaking down that figure in the United States, 70 percent of moms uploaded baby and toddler photographs, 23 percent of moms shared sonograms of their babies before they were born, seven percent had created email for toddlers, and 5 percent added a social-networking profiles (Some did more than one thing.)

The profiling of babies is perfectly in line with the everything-about-me-is-fascinating belief fostered by Facebook and twitter. (“Beautiful day.” “Had meal at Chinese restaurant. Meh.”)

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Unfortunately, posting information and pictures of kids might be a bit more interesting than that, but it also carries a greater possibility of embarrassment and harm. When babies become kids, they can find a “digital dossier of themselves,” according to J.R. Smith, CEO of AVG. “You are creating a digital history of a human being that will follow him for the rest of his or her life.” And while that might sound relatively harmless, no older kid wants to see pictures of themselves going potty for the first time or sobbing hysterically because the dog licked their face.

Smith has even coined a phrase for the phenomenon: The first time kids appear online, he says, is their “digital birth date.” And the older a child is when that happens, the better.

If you still want to post pictures or any information on the Internet, Smith says, be aware of the privacy settings on your profile. It’s probably a good idea to regularly check the settings as well, just to make sure they haven’t changed. (theweek)

Jane Farrell is a senior editor at BettyConfidential.