Social networks have long been great search tools for finding past friends and family as well as ways to stay in touch with current friends and relatives. Now adoptees are using Facebook and other social media sites to find their birth parents and biological families.
As a result of restrictive state laws that often limit an adoptees access to adoption records, family information and birth records, some people are using the internet’s social tools to find and reconnect with family members they never knew. Several support groups have been formed on Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest to help adoptees make contact with members of their biological families.
Adopted children are posting everything from pictures and videos to their personal information online in an effort to locate their birth mothers and fathers.
After Jenessa Simmons reunited with her biological mom in January 2013, using a photo that she posted to Facebook, numerous other people have decided to try their luck using social media to find out about their family roots.
However the search for family goes both ways. Birth parents are also using social networks to find the children they gave up for adoption.
Online adoption communities are tapping into the viral and social aspects of the internet to help families reunite by using adoption groups on social media sites to spread the word. Some advocates of adoptee rights are hoping that all of this leads to states changing their laws to allow for the unsealing of adoption records.
U.S. State Laws Restrict Access To Adoption Records
Most industrialized countries allow adult adoptees to have open access to their birth records. However, current U.S. laws prohibit the majority of adopted children from accessing personal information about their birth parents and birth certificates. Only six U.S. states give adoptees open access to this information and their are currently over 6 million adopted children in the United States.
Activists for adoptee rights believe this is an overlooked civil rights issue, since denying people information about their biological roots can stop people from knowing more about their family’s medical and legal history.
Adoptee Search Tips
These tips can help you find your biological parents or adopted children online:
- Gather as much background information as possible about your adopted child or birth parents
- Use state adoption records as much as possible
- Use Google to find the official adoption registry for the state you were born in to help reunite you with your birth family
- Post your search on the most popular social networks like Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest & Twitter
- Post as much detailed personal information as you can to social networks & online adoption forums
- Include current picture(s) or video in your online posts
- Post your search on sites like ubfound.com and zabasearch messages
- If you know the full or last name(s) of your birth parents use online people searches to locate them or possible relatives living in the geographic area where you were born
Online Help For Adoptees Searching For Their Birth Family
Below are some online adoptee and family search groups that can help you locate biological parents or adopted children.
Adoptee Rights Coaltion
Facebook Adoptee Group
Facebook Adoption Reunion Group
Facebook Adoptee & Birth Mother Searching
Pinterest Adoptee Search Group