Asked older kids to stop filming my young children

In my experience, schools will absolutely do something about this. Schools get involved with pupils’ bad behaviour on school transport on the way to and from school, with pupils’ lack of road safety/bad behaviour walking to and from school, etc. Generally, if pupils can be IDd by their uniforms, schools are happy to step in and help/educate their pupils.

I think that was the perfect reaction tbh. You asked them to stop, whether they did or not, someone needs to educate them on why they should not be doing this, just because is it is legal does not make it acceptable. It is for their safety as well, one day someone may take offence to being filmed and may not ask politely for them to stop!
Any half decent school will help deal with incidents outside of school involving other members of the school community, particularly when wearing school uniform. An appropriate reaction from school would either be communication to parents to speak to their children or just a short talk during an assembly.
I am sure there was nothing malicious in it and just kids messing around, but completely understand why you wouldn't want random children filming your young children and potentially putting it online.

I would fully support laws that ban smartphone ownership for children - I know such a law would be impossible to be in place.

Posts like this demonstrate why children are not ready to have smartphones. They do not understand or have the maturity to use them properly. Why the heck would they feel the need to film random children and upload it? Because they see random videos of random people being uploaded doing all sorts of things and have no sense of privacy violation or why this could be wrong. People upload videos of strangers without consent for entertainment. It’s a huge problem for society.

And of course everyone has now been conditioned to believe their children “need” a phone. Sure - for safety - get them one. But get them a brick without a camera until they are mature enough. No 9 year old needs a phone. They just want one.

It's legal for them to post it too, unfortunately (unless for commercial use of course)

Mind blowing this many kids in primary have mobile phones. My whole local areas primary schools have signed up to a mobile phone free school. They’re banned. Some arguments from parents from children travelling/walking on their own. Allowances have been made and they hand their phones in when they get to school.

I think it's more than bad manners and this needs to change. From year 5 & 6s it will be quite innocent, but I find it attrocious to think that anyone can film my young daughter in a public place and do what they want with it. Just because it's in public and she is fully clothed does not make it right. Think of all the perverts that can happily and legally film our kids. It turns my stomach.

Yes, they can. There is no law preventing people from taking photographs or filming in people without permission in public, even children.

Unless the photographs/footage are indecent, she has no (legal) right to ask them to stop, ask for a copy of the images or ask them to delete the images.

She can ask of course, they can say no.

Anyone can film you in public, you can ask politely that they don’t but that’s about it.

I hate this culture we have now where people film and post encounters in public.

I know it’s not illegal. But there will be cared for and adopted children in that school for whom it could be dangerous to be on social media. Especially in school uniform: it probably won’t have occurred to them but I think you did the right thing reporting to school.

I’d also be asking you schools policy on phones. Why do these kids have phones on the school run. Do school let them take them into school? My kids school is smart phone free and any child found with a phone in their bag (even if turned off) gets it confiscated for the half term.

I think it's quite odd for year 5s (currently 9 yr olds) to have phones at all, and be able to upload videos without any parental locks or oversight tbh. I think it's right to tell the school, they should have a phone policy and it won't include "film 5 year olds and put them on tik tok in school uniform". I'd ask anyone filming my children to stop, and to delete what they had filmed, regardless of age (unless its a birthday party or similar, and even then no mum i know would post other peoples kids on sm without asking). I'd probably have asked them if their parents were around and had a chat, but our school is a small village school and there's never kids around without their parents, and the parents are all nice (appreciate this makes a difference!)

You didn't do anything wrong but school won't do anything as it's outside of the building. They are only obligated to deal with issues when it's on their premises

Exactly this, you shouldn't be filming another person without their consent whether in public or not.

No they can't. She asked those kids not to film her kids on their phones. She's well within her rights to tell them that. Jeez even school has to ask for permission to photograph your kids cos of data protection. Seems like those year 5 kids need some educating on what gets posted on the internet stays there for anyone to access

Whether it’s legal or not I would be unhappy and would have asked them to stop. I don’t think you over reacted. I would have gone in with a neutral tone at first and explained why it’s not right in the hope that decent kids would understand. If they didn’t respect that and kept following and filming then surely that would then be harrassment and you could just tell them to leave you alone. If they didn’t, I’d tell them I’ll follow them home to their parents house and let them know personally how rude and disrespectful they are. Yours are very young children but 9 year olds are probably just being a bit silly and not really understanding/ enjoying playing with tech.
I think it’s worth contacting the school and having a discussion about it. But did they continue?

At this age it’s more about helping those boys develop some empathy. It might not be illegal but it’s intrusive and as a parent I’d want my child to have respect for others. I would never take a photo of my own children without their consent and I wouldn’t post or share a picture either. It’s common decency. Teach your children that’s it’s ok to ask people to stop doing something in their space they don’t like and to move away quickly if they don’t stop.
I do think the law is a bit outdated but then it can have its upside.

Nope I'd say you are under reacting. As I recall I was all of 9 in year 5. Would seem like a massive safeguarding issue that 9 year olds have camera phones in school. Let alone recording other younger children in school who may have reason not to be posted online.

You did over react. It's a bit odd but they can film what they like

I think you can film in public but kids…. How weird of them. Where were the parents? I’d be right up to school.

@C152

Just interested to know is your background a legal one? Because if what you say is correct it is different from what I have been led to believe.

Unfortunately, in the UK it is legal to post photos and videos online without the consent of the person in the image, or their guardian. The only time it is illegal to do so is if the images were obtained where there was an expectation of privacy (e.g. someone stole images from your phone and posted them, or images you had sent them for their eyes only were posted online, like in the case of revenge porn).

Nobody should be filming anybody i really hate that laws haven't caught up with social media

Whilst I wouldn't be happy with people filming my child, and I would also ask someone to stop; there's no right to privacy in a public place. People can take photos and film whatever and whomever they wish (including children), as long as there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, and as long as their behaviour isn't designed to harass, intimidate or stalk the person being filmed.

And that’s the difference, CCTV on private land is not the same as filming in public. You can film in public and no consent is required.

I'm not a legal expert but everything I've read about this says parental consent is necessary to film and post films of young children.

When I got my security cameras , which cover my garden and the immediate area outside my garden I was very uncomfortable about it because I didn't want to break the law myself by filming children. I checked with the police and the information I was given was that the intention of the filming was all important. And that it was acceptable to film what was happening because of the anti social nature if what was happening. And that I shouldn't share these images. So I'm very careful only to show them to police officers

As far as I'm aware they are allowed to film other children so long as they are not harassing them or the film is not indecent.
BUT it isn't legal to post these films, as they said they were going to do, without your consent

It’s legal to post videos filmed in public as long as not for commercial use.