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Pictures of children on the Internet, an underestimated risk

2023-04-20 07:52:00, Tech CNA

Pictures of children on the Internet, an underestimated risk

Illustrative photo

Parents are posting more and more pictures of their children online. This not only violates children's rights, but is also dangerous for them.

Parents are often very happy when a child is born, when they smile for the first time, when they take their first steps, when their little ones have their first experiences of life. These moments are often captured in photographs that are proudly shown to family and friends.

This can get on someone's nerves, but it has never become a problem when the photo album has ended up in a drawer. But with the onset of social media, more and more often children's pictures are also shared publicly on the Internet, and such a thing can have unintended consequences.

1300 pictures before turning 13 years old

"At the end of the day we are often dealing with making someone known, through mechanisms like likes or hearts," explains Sophie Pohle, referent for media education at the German child protection organization Deutschen Kinderhilfswerk in Berlin.

Among other things, pictures of ultrasound images of children in the mother's womb, pictures taken on the beach, at birthday parties or the start of school ceremony are posted on the Internet. "In principle there is nothing that cannot be shown with pictures that are posted on the Internet." Sometimes even photos of babies are used to advertise products, influencers use them for cosmetic products or children's clothing, but everyone has rights to their photo, and this applies to children, and especially to them.

As of 2018, the former in charge of the protection of children's rights in the English government, Anne Longfield, warned in her report that on average 1300 photos are circulated on the Internet for each child, before he has reached the age of 13. This phenomenon has even managed to have its own name: "Sharenting", a compound word created from the English words "to share" and "parents".

Posting pictures online has consequences

But the Internet never forgets anything. This often heard sentence can really turn into a problem. For example, when children are not satisfied with the photographs taken of them. "Children may be ashamed of the pictures that their parents have shared, thinking that the child looks sweet or cute in them," explains the representative of the Deutschen Kinderhilfswerkes.

"And when these pictures end up in public circulation, they can then become targets for ridicule, insults, bullying or hate-filled comments." Also, later when during the job application, the managers google the names of the applicants, and get unpleasant photos as a result, then this turns into a problem."

To open people's eyes to these dangers, blogger Toyah Diebel started in 2019 with the project #deinkindauchnicht (no children).

In addition, often in the photo, not only the child is visible, but also his personal environment: room, apartment, garden. In the text posted together with the photo, other information is also read, such as the name of the child, the day of birth. "Through this combined data, it is even possible to find out where the child lives," says Sophie Pohle, warning of the dangers.

This is not only a problem for data protection reasons: "Of course, there is always the risk that such information and pictures fall into the wrong hands, and circulate for example in pedophile circles."

Since 2019, the internet portal created by the German federation and states, Onlineportal jugendschutz.net has announced in a report that "Instagram is misused to connect people with sexual interest in children. Children's pictures are collected, for example, commented with sexual comments or associated and shared with hashtags".

It is often underestimated that: "Parents are relatively aware that publicly posting pictures on Facebook, TikTok or Instagram is problematic," explains Sophie Pohle. "But at the same time they think Messenger and Whatsapp are relatively private and share there without hesitation."

For example, using the status function, so that everyone who is part of the group of acquaintances has the right to receive the photos. "What is important here is the level of awareness of parents on this point, and how this is reflected in the adjustments that have been made to the private sphere on certain Internet networks. The question is, do I share the pictures really publicly or only for those who follow me? ", says Pohle.

But even in private conversations on Privatchat you can't be sure that a picture of the interlocutor is not given to others, without first asking. Therefore, the German organization Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk has issued its own guide on what to consider when posting pictures of children on the Internet.

France: Shareting banned by law

To limit the unlimited distribution of photos, even those that violate human dignity, France is now taking a step that no other country in the world has taken: France wants to prohibit by law parents from sharing in the media social media pictures of children, without first obtaining their consent.

In cases where there are different views of the parents, then one parent can be prohibited from publishing and sending pictures of the children, without obtaining the consent of the other parent. In extreme cases parents may even lose their right to own photographs of their children.

The new draft law pays special attention to "the use of children's photographs on online platforms". So, for example, the income derived from the commercial use of children's photographs should be sent to a bank account number, which the child can use himself when he reaches the age of 16. In addition, a "right to be forgotten" can be created, to be applied in the event that children ask of their own free will to leave the photo and video network, which they have shared.

Children should be asked when their pictures are published

Sophie Pohle is generally positive about the French bill. Because it further strengthens the personal rights of children, already anchored in the UN Convention on the Rights of Minors. "It's not about banning the posting of pictures of children in general, but banning the excessive distribution and undignified treatment of them on social media," says Pohle.

"The right to personal photography means that each person must decide for himself which of his photographs should be made public and which should not be made public. And considering the rights of children, it is very important that children participate in a decision such and the "No" of children to be accepted by parents, and not to be easily overlooked."

In other countries of the world, there has not been such a draft law as in France. Therefore, says Sophie Pohle, the clarification work is the most important tool for protecting children from the unwanted consequences of Sharenting.

In kindergartens, in schools, on social media platforms, but also among parents themselves. Families must first develop "a shared understanding of how to behave respectfully and responsibly with each other's photographs," says Pohle. "Because as soon as they get their own cell phone in their hand, the children will go on social media themselves and will certainly have learned from the family how to act on such things."/ Dw