World-first law bans parents from sharing children's photos on social media
2 min read 22 Mar 2023, 09:48 AM ISTWhat are the implications of France's new law that gives courts the power to ban parents from posting pictures of their children on social media? Let’s find out.
PremiumLegislation has been passed in the French National Assembly that could see parents banned from sharing photos of their children on social media. The bill would allow courts to prohibit parents from posting images of their youngsters online, with both parents being held responsible for their children’s image rights.
The decision to post images would have to involve the child, based on their age and maturity level, with courts able to ban posting if either parent disagreed. Parents could lose authority over their children's image rights if posting them was deemed to “seriously affect the child's dignity or moral integrity".
The most extreme cases could even result in a family judge taking away one parent's rights to share images of their child, if deemed excessive or harmful.
Also Read: Barack Obama and Angela Merkel's AI-generated beach day post goes viral
This bill aims to make parents responsible for the privacy rights of their children who cannot consent to their images being uploaded online. It also seeks to punish influencer parents who try to gain followers and earn money by posting images of their children.
The French Council of Associations for the Rights of Children has cited alerts from Europol and Interpol regarding the proliferation of online child sex abuse content and the prevalence of self-produced content by young people themselves or those around them.
This bill is a world-first and has been welcomed by child psychologists and social media experts. Anja Stevic, a researcher in communications at the University of Vienna, believes it is necessary to protect under-age children who have no voice to speak against the images shared online by their parents.
Also Read: Beware! ChatGPT imposter app steals Instagram & Gmail credentials
Parents need to be aware of the risks involved, especially regarding ethics or stealing images for malicious purposes online. Bruno Studer, the French politician behind the bill, has highlighted that 50% of photos innocently shared on social media end up on child sex abuse forums.
Sharing images of children online can pose risks, but it can also be safe if done correctly. Stevic suggests that parents set their settings to private and only share images with family and friends. She has also seen parents share children from the back, without showing their child’s full face or body.
The problem arises when images are too public and accessible to everyone, including online abusers. Although this bill won't prevent child sex abuse websites from collecting content posted online, French MPs want to remind parents that they must respect their child’s digital privacy.
