Last Thursday, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute released its newest report focused on the impact of the internet on adoption. The report describes the impact of the internet and social media as having “transformative effects – positive and negative – on how adoption is perceived, practiced and in terms of the policies and laws that are responding from, and attempting to proactively address, ethical challenges that are raised.
The report was instigated because of the lack of research on the use of the internet and social media in adoption, as well as to begin a dialogue. The Adoption Institute’s key findings include:
- Adoption is more and more about finding children for families than in finding families for children, with a growing “commodification” as supply and demand for infants “heightens competition.”
- The ability for unregulated websites to unethically facilitate adoption practices as a way to compete with brick and mortar adoption agencies raises concerns.
- More birth parents and adoptees are using social media and other internet-related technologies to search and contact each other.
- Recruitment for adoptive families for children with special needs has been more successful through internet technologies.
- Prospective and adoptive families are able to find many resources and supports through internet sites.
The report also laid out several practice, policy and legal recommendations. Among them:
- The development of a best-practice standards guide, by key organizations, experts in the field, and – though not included I would add adoptive parents, first parents and adopted individuals as well.
- The development of training programs for adoption professionals on a number of items including:
- Positive and negative uses of the internet and social media
- The internet and social media as a tool for search and reunion, and how professionals can counsel those using the internet for search and reunion
- The use of the internet for parents (both birth/first and adoptive) to obtain adoption services
- An examination of the current policies and laws related to fraud, exploitation and other illegal activities and the internet
- Working with internet and social media companies about issues of privacy, ethics, and conduct of users
- An examination of current laws regarding the ability of adult adopted persons from accessing original birth information.
For more information about the key findings and to read the whole report, see the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute link here.