“The Risks of Posting Children’s Photos on Social Media: Why France is Banning It by Law”

The birth of the baby, his first smile, his first steps – parents are usually excited about every achievement of their children. These special moments are often captured in photographs and proudly displayed to loved ones. However, with the spread of social media, children’s photos are increasingly appearing on profiles there – publicly on the Internet. This can have some unintended consequences.

1300 photos before the 13th birthday

“In the end, it’s mostly about approval – through the mechanisms that social networks offer for likes,” explains Sophie Paul from the German Children’s Fund. Often times there is nothing left that hasn’t been shared on social media. Some people even include their toddlers in advertising contests, with influencers using them to promote cosmetics or baby clothes. Everyone has the right to choose where their photo appears – this should also apply to children.

Britain’s Children’s Service warned in a 2018 report that parents post an average of 1,300 photos of their children before they turn 13.

Photos with consequences

But the internet never forgets. This is a problem. For example, when children disagree with what their parents post, something they find adorable may be embarrassing for the child. “If something like this is put on display, it can become an occasion for harassment and insults,” explains Sophie Paul. It can also be a problem when applying for a job later, because companies in Germany, as a rule, study candidates, including their activity on social networks, and the presence of inappropriate photos or comments on her are always unfavorable, explains the expert.

In addition, often in the photos you can see not only the faces of the children, but also their surroundings – the nursery, the house, the kindergarten in front of it. And the accompanying text to the publications can reveal many other personal data such as the child’s name and date of birth. “All this information can be used to establish the exact address of the child,” explains Sophie Paul. There is always a risk that this data will fall into the hands of ill-wishers or spread among pedophiles, the expert emphasizes. Already in 2019, a German online portal indicated that Instagram is actively used by people seeking sexual contact with children, and their photos are collected and forwarded through such networks.

“Parents usually have a clear idea of ​​the problems of posting on Facebook, TikTok or Instagram,” explains Sophie Paul. According to her, however, most parents consider messengers such as WhatsApp or Viber to be a much safer option. But even in a private conversation, one cannot always be sure whether the interlocutor is not forwarding the photos to third parties.

France prohibits sharing by law

To stop the spread of indecent photos, France wants to ban parents from sharing photos of their children on social media without their permission. Cases where one parent wants to prohibit the other from sharing photos of their child will also be resolved legally.

In extreme cases, parents can even lose the rights to their children’s photos. The bill also aims to introduce the right of children to request that all their photos be removed from online platforms when they reach a certain age.

Children should be involved in the decision whether to publish their photos

Sophie Paul believes that the French bill is good because it respects the rights of minors, which are already enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. “It’s not about a complete ban on uploading pictures of children on the internet, it’s about limiting excessive and disrespectful use of them on the internet,” says Paul.

“The right to control one’s own images means that each person will be able to decide for themselves what pictures of themselves are published online. Therefore, it is extremely important that the children are included in making this decision, and not ignored. According to the expert, education is the most important means of protecting children from unwanted consequences. In kindergartens, schools, on social media, but also among parents themselves. First, families need to “build a common understanding of how to treat the footage in a respectful and responsible way,” says Paul.

Author: Thomas Lachan