Credits: Social Media
Posting children’s photos on the Internet ‘should be illegal’, argues health visitor
Modern parents love the Internet, so much so that they can’t stop themselves from sharing every little and major update about their personal lives, including adorable pictures of their kids.
There are a few laws and regulations to keep children from using social media, but that doesn’t entirely stop them from appearing online thanks to tech-savvy parents. A health visitor warns against the dangers of the common practice that most adults take for granted, which can adversely affect their children.
Health visitor’s hot take on posting children’s photos online
Ruth is a health visitor and a mother from the U.K. popular on TikTok for her honest take on parenting and children’s safety.
Adults these days are so blinded by modern technology that they fail to look at the obvious dangers the Internet brings to their children’s lives, although it can be a blessing when used wisely.
In one of her videos, she outlines the risks of sharing children’s pictures on social media, even if you have a private account that only includes close friends and family.
“I think it should be genuinely illegal until children have consented to what we are doing,” she argues before discussing in detail the common mistakes parents make.
Ruth says the “booming AI technology” is one of the biggest risk factors when exposing your children’s faces to the internet as their identities can be misused in unimaginable ways.
She then draws attention to child sexual abuse material widely available on the internet, which heavily relies on innocent children’s pictures posted by ignorant parents.
Covering your child’s face is advisable
Ruth’s opinion has prompted a lot of responses from parents who argue that they never show their child’s face in photos, which the health visitor believes is much safer than exposing their identities.
When one user asked: “What about faceless photos? Or, are they also not great to be posting? Back of the head, etc.”, Ruth responded: “I post these of mine. As long as the child is unidentifiable by their face.”
However, she urges parents not to post random images of their children mindlessly. “Once you post this on the Internet, even if your account is private, it’s out there forever,” she warns.
Reacting to the health visitor’s advice, one parent wrote: “I had a massive backlash from friends and family about not showing my little one face. I will not post my childs face for their safety.”
“I absolutely agree with this. Me and my husband take videos and pictures all the time. I also post here on TikTok but I dont post our sons face. We have also urged family and friends not to post our son on social media and they agree with our boundaries,” opined another.
