All, or almost all parents of social networks, have ever uploaded photos of our young children to any of them. Then they grow up and it is they who create their own profiles (in Spain they are 14 years of age the minimum age to be part of a social network). But a new French regulation makes us reflect on whether we do well to expose them on the networks, although our intention is none other than to teach family and friends how handsome our children are.
If you live in France, an a priori innocent gesture could cost you dearly. Your child can report you for posting photos of him on social networks If considered injured. The French authorities may impose fines of up to 45,000 euros on parents and one year in prison for publishing photos of their children on social media without permission.
The privacy of children in networks
We are new to this, we are learning on the fly, and surely there are issues that we have not noticed. According to a study published in 2015 by the internet company Nominet, parents in the United Kingdom publish about 200 photographs of their children under five on social networks every year, which means that a child will have approximately a total of 1,000 photos shared online before the age of five.
We believe that we share the photos with friends and family, an average of between 50 and 200 people, but the truth is that the reach is much greater. It is believed that 17% of parents never check their Facebook privacy settings, exposing their children to their photos being available to unknown people.
In the future, this could lead to cases of bullying or be used by someone who wants to usurp the child's identity, or in the worst case also by pedophiles, who use the networks to investigate the child's environment.
Will you finish uploading photos of the children?
If other countries join the French restrictions, it may be the beginning of the end of sharing photos of children on the networks. For now, at least if you live in France, you will have to think about it very well before posting that picture of your son sitting in the toilet, having a tantrum or in any other situation that tomorrow might consider to have been harmed.
