What message do selfies post?

Top view portrait of two happy smiling kids lying on green grass. Cheerful brother and sister laughing together.

In a new survey a whopping 78 per cent of UK parents have admitted to taking selfies with their children and posting the images on social networks; but our quest to take the '˜perfect selfie' could be distorting our children's view of reality.

The poll, which was commissioned by leading parenting resource Families (www.familiesonline.co.uk) in conjunction with its #loveyourselfproject, also reveals that almost two thirds of parents admit to taking more than one selfie with their children before finding their perfect shot, with many taking at least three photos (some as many as 10) before selecting the most flattering image to post online.

A further one in five parents also said they use the special photographic filters to make their image look better. For 73 per cent of parents who actively post selfies with their children on a weekly and monthly basis, this is nothing out of the ordinary, but the worry is that this quest to take the perfect picture may have a deeper long-term effect on what children view as reality.