To think we need new laws relating to social media and the posting of minors?

[FoxBoxSox]

I have a guilty habit of mindlessly scrolling social media videos when bored. I am becoming increasingly more appalled at the level of private information parents share about their DC under the guise of ‘raising awareness’.

Multiple ‘content creators’ share so much information that from their various posts alone, anyone can work out where their DC go to school, what their disabilities are and the extent of these. Private medical information such as how their tween DC wets themselves when distressed or is violent in meltdown , alongside detailed descriptions of their child’s personal worries and conversations had with parents. All plastered for other people to see. The DC themselves are often posted on their ‘stories’ so all of this medical information openly identifies them.

Photos and videos of DC in their most vulnerable moments (in comas , on life support etc). Older DC incapacitated and in nappies, on life support. I completely understand why parents may take these photos for themselves, but posting them to social media is too much. The DC can not consent.

Do these parents not realise that their DC’s peers will see this stuff? It’s such an invasion of privacy and I feel terrible for the DC.

Is it time we had laws to prevent DC being exposed in this way?

I think 100% but it would be hard for that to ever really come to fruition. No benefit to a child to posting them on social media at all

I think loads of content shouldn't be allowed to be posted with babies and toddlers.

When you see on tiktok how many times videos of babies in nothing but nappies for example, are saved, it's scary.

I'm not a 'theres a peado round every corner' type of person, but parents are aware that pictures of their innocent children are potentially being used for nefarious reasons, but they don't care. It's wrong.

Definitely.
There are influencers who have been told multiple times that their children are child sexual abuse sites and they don’t care. I guess the money is more important!
I don’t think anyone should post their children in nappies or in the bath or where they are vulnerable.

I agree. I feel quite uncomfortable sometimes with people putting general photos of their children on SM because you could easily be identifying without realising it, do you want Tom Dick or Harry looking at your kids and (mainly) they are putting up images without their consent/possibly likely knowedge. I am not sure I'd like photos of me as a baby, child, teenager out in the public domain.

I am very uncomfortable with influencers using their children for ‘content.’ These people are making lots of money from this and their children are basically working and aren’t protected in any way, including financially. They post everything about them to thousands and thousands of people. Use them in adverts. It’s awful.

YANBU

But then again I don't think anyone, including parents have the 'right' to post photos of other people, even if those other people are their own children.

They are never ever posted for the children's benefit, it's always for the parents no matter what excuse they come up with about Auntie Nellie in the Himalayas needing to see photos.

I don’t have an issue with pictures per se; we live in a digital world and sharing family photos across social media can be a way of connecting. It’s the extent of the information parents are providing.

To be very vague, one video I came across involved a late primary aged autistic child expressing very deep and personal worries to their mother. The mother recorded the whole thing and posted it online. Lots of random individuals were commenting. As a parent, I don’t understand how you could do that to your child. Where is the trust?

we live in a digital world and sharing family photos across social media can be a way of connecting.

Imo it's mostly about the likes and love hearts and how it makes the parents feel good about themselves.

Definitely no benefit to the child.

@AnnieBuddyHere Agreed.

Agreed. This is why I have very little social media and don't have my children on it at all. They cannot consent and I agree there is no benefit.

The keeping in touch with random family members is also bollocks since, you know, whatsapp that allows the private sharing of photos for free.

Of course you dont get to the likes an brags that way...

I'd love a law but can't see how it could effectively be enforced.

There's one influencer who uses her kids CONSTANTLY for content, and says it's so she's ensuring their financial security - she's an NSPCC ambassador who knows full well about online safety as she temporarily removed her eldest child from social media for a bit a few years back because of it!
Who is keeping track of these kids working hours and conditions - tv and film have such strict controls in place but social media has just been allowed to become the wild west and there's no excuse - YouTube and vlogging have been wildly popular for 10+ years now.

I don't have a problem with these photos on closed and family groups, but I think shared more widely is a bit off. I am in a FB school group that has 90 members and some people have put their young children on (one put her young boys in the bath). I know they aren't doublechecking people when they join because they have had to boot out a few who come on and then put up posts advertising something.

Mrs Hinch is one of the worst

I was thinking the same this morning. I used to do it, when I think back I cringe. Feel like I let my DC down, you're directly putting them in harms way. As a result, I don't share personal medical information or photographs with anyone other than doctors and family.

It should be illegal, it's a violation of privacy. Knowing what I know now, my advice would be never to share your child's image or any personal information online, even with 'friends'. Trust me on this, don't do it.

There are posters on MN who have no problem with their young children having social media, TikTok etc.
It’s the other side of the same coin.

Oh I agree with you 100%. I'm in a dress group on Facebook, 52,000 members, and one woman posts daily about her son. I and thousands of others know what school he goes to, his birthday, his medical conditions, the medicine he takes. So dangerous.

I believe there is a law in the USA that if a child is being used to create content then parents must reserve 10% of the created income specifically for the child. I don't know if there is similar policy here. It's exploitation if nothing else otherwise. I think 10% is too low myself.

My oh works in IT security. And we have a blanket no photos online partially because he is more aware of the dangers then most. The school can't take them either. It's not that hard. I do think a blanket ban would be appropriate but it would collapse a whole industry so I doubt it's likely.

My kids like watching kids on you tube and you can see that some of the older children are into it but then some of the younger siblings don't know wtf is going on.

You cannot legislate for everything! Who will police this? What will the penalty be? We now have no smart phones suggested for under 16s. The parents who want this did allow their dc to have the phones! Again, who on earth will police it? It’s unenforceable. So we have to accept laws won’t solve the issues of social media or stupid parents.

I have no problems with picture being shared on private SM accounts to friends and family but yes I completely agree that posting of minors on public accounts should be banned. Some of it is appalling and embarrassing to the children. Parents are literally handing bullies all the ammunition they need it's disgraceful

So many of the parents who see no harm in it, would go absolutely fucking mental if someone posted photos of them online without their permission.

Totally hypocritical.

I agree completely. And not because I'm paranoid that every other person is a paedophile (though there certainly are some out there trawling for such "content") but fundamentally because young children cannot consent to this, or understand the implications. Its not a public service, its pure self indulgence on the parents behalf.

I recently had concerns about a set of siblings through a Facebook group. Mum was freely posting re abuse and significant MH issues. I was able to go through her posting history and establish school, birthdays, full lists of medical diagnoses for each child and mum, key adults in their lives etc all to make a report to their local safeguarding hub. Mum inevitably posted about it and assumed it was a family friend due to knowing so much detail. She had and still has no concept that all of that information was obtained through her posts on social media. I used it for the right reasons, but God forbid I had had malicious intentions, there was so much information available I could have done serious harm with it all.

It should be regulated, heavily.

Many parents could do with some basic lessons in internet safety.

Not sure why the OP has singled out parents of children with disabilities though.

@MyGodMyThighs Because as a parent of DC with disabilities myself, I am incredulous at the lack of privacy parents are affording their DC, under the guise of raising awareness of a particular disability.

I agree. I think it may change when we start getting influencer's children growing up and speaking out.

It seems madness to me that kids are taught to be careful about what they put on social media and to be mindful of their digital footprint and yet we have influencers sharing information about their kids' schools, their medical conditions, their teenage fuck ups. And all basically to make money.