Is Posting Minors Online Safe?
Things You Need To Know
The rise of social media and photo-sharing platforms has led to an unprecedented number of pictures and videos of minors being shared online. While parents, guardians, caregivers and even the children often post such content with good intentions, the implications of sharing children’s images online can be far-reaching and, in some cases, harmful. Here’s a breakdown of key concerns, facts, and statistics surrounding the posting of minors online.
The Popularity of Sharing Minors’ Photos
According to a survey by AVG Technologies, 81% of children have a digital footprint before the age of two, created mostly by their parents(Read about this here). This phenomenon, often referred to as “sharenting,” involves parents sharing details and images of their children’s lives on social media. By age five, the average child has about 1,500 photos of them uploaded online. Read more about it here. These are very insightful articles by UNICEF to learn more here and here.
Parents often share these images to celebrate milestones, stay connected with family, or receive social validation. However, once uploaded, these images can be permanently accessible to a much wider audience than intended, leading to concerns about privacy and child safety.
Below are YouTube links to documentaries that shed light on this topic. Watching them will help you understand better the seriousness and importance of keeping your kids safe online. Please take out time to watch them.
Risks of Posting Minors Online
- Digital Footprint and Privacy: When parents post pictures of their children, they create a permanent digital footprint for their kids without their consent. As minors grow older, they may not agree with their early presence online and have no control over it.
- Child Exploitation: One of the most alarming risks is that pictures of children can fall into the hands of online predators. According to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), some innocent-looking images can be stolen, manipulated, or used on dark web forums frequented by predators. A report from the Internet Watch Foundation found that 89% of sexual images and videos shared by young people end up on adult sites. Read more here.
- Identity Theft: Pictures, coupled with personal details like the child’s full name, birth date, or location, can make it easier for hackers or criminals to steal the child’s identity. The Identity Theft Resource Center notes that minors are particularly vulnerable to identity theft because it’s often not detected until the child becomes old enough to apply for credit or loans. Read more here.
- Digital Kidnapping: This involves strangers downloading and using pictures of children, often pretending to be the child’s parent. Such instances have occurred on platforms like Instagram, where a child photos are reshared with false names and backgrounds, a practice known as “virtual kidnapping”.
- Psychological Impact: As children grow up and become aware of their online presence, they may feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by the images their parents have shared. Psychologists argue that children deserve a say in what is shared about them, and some may experience anxiety or discomfort knowing that personal moments are public.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives minors the right to have such content removed when they come of age, emphasizing privacy concerns. Learn more here and here and here.
Guidelines for Posting Minors Online
Given the potential risks, many experts advise taking extra caution when posting about minors. Here are some best practices to consider:
- Privacy Settings: Always use the strictest privacy settings when sharing images of children. This limits who can see the content and reduces the chances of misuse. On facebook don’t tag people as this means the tagged person’s audience can see the pictures too.
- Avoid Personal Information: Refrain from sharing identifiable details such as the child’s full name, school, or location. Even small bits of information, when combined, can be used for harmful purposes.
- Ask for Consent: As children get older, it’s important to involve them in decisions about what images are posted online. This fosters respect for their privacy and autonomy.
- Think About the Future: What seems like a cute or funny moment now may not be appreciated by your child later. Consider how the image might affect them in the future.
- Watermark Photos: Parents can choose to watermark their photos to deter unauthorized use or resharing.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
In Nigeria, there is no specific law protecting minors’ privacy on social media. However, increasing awareness of child protection rights and data privacy has led to calls for stronger regulations. The Nigerian Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) emphasizes protecting personal data but lacks strict guidelines on social media content. Educating parents on the potential risks of online sharing is becoming more prominent, and initiatives by individuals like myself and groups like Cybersafe Foundation and Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria(CSEAN) are pushing for responsible online behaviors.
In some countries, there are growing legal frameworks to protect children from being overshared online. In France, for example, parents can be held liable for posting their children’s photos without their consent, and children can sue their parents for invasion of privacy.
The internet offers numerous benefits, but it also presents significant risks when sharing content generally but even worse when it’s about minors. Parents need to be mindful of the long-term impact that sharing today may have on their child’s privacy and safety in the future.
It is recommend that parents exercise “digital due diligence” when sharing minors’ photos online and should also monitor what their children share as well. Always prioritize the child’s consent, privacy, and security when navigating the online world.
I am very passionate about safeguarding our future which is our children and you should too. You can start by sharing this article with your online audience, friends and family so they can also be armed with knowledge to do better at keeping the children safe online. You might want to read the last article I wrote about a similar topic here.
Until next time, find me where the good guys are!