A Wagga woman has braved a social media storm after photographs of her three children were posted on Facebook while buying frozen drinks at McDonald’s.
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Lydia McNamara left her three children – aged 12, 10 and 6 – inside her Toyota Tarago at McDonald’s Glenfield Park on Wednesday.
Two photographs of the car were posted to a community Facebook page with a caption titled “bad parenting”.
Before the frozen cokes had time to melt, the post provoked a wave of “distressing” comments and messages.
“Is it any wonder why teens commit suicide because of social media?” Ms McNamara said.
“Some of the comments were pretty horrible and they were personal attacks.”
Ms McNamara insists the car’s airconditioning was on while she was inside. She said the man who took the photographs did not speak to her in person at any point.
Wagga police said it appeared there was no wrongdoing on Ms McNamara’s behalf.
“It comes down to risk. Were the children in distress or were they just waiting for their McDonald’s? People should be aware before jumping to conclusions,” crime manager Inspector Darren Cloake said.
The controversy comes amid growing concerns about the impact of cyber bullying on children. Under federal legislation, a children’s e-safety commissioner will have tough new powers to force large social media companies to remove offensive material.
Ms McNamara, who runs a children's dance school, said public shaming and unfounded abuse on social media was at crisis point.
“I think it's out of control,” she said. "People are so quick to go for the jugular without knowing the circumstances.”
The original poster did not respond to Advertiser requests for interview.
