Parents have been issued a warning over posting photos of their children online this Christmas.
While many will want to share their little ones' excitement on Christmas morning, an expert has warned that there are major dangers when posting photos of your kids online. From a lack of privacy legislation to exposing confidential information, social media posts can have "serious consequences".
This is according to the experts at VPNOverview who say that the act of "sharenting" - despite being considered as a modern-day scrapbook of memories - is dangerous.
A spokesperson for the cyber security company said: "In this fast-evolving world of social media, sharenting can have serious consequences. Children are exposed to dangers as their parents set boundaries on their behalf regarding social media.
"While these dangers are worth considering, there are certainly ways you can safely share pictures of your family life online if you remain conscious of the possible consequences and consider the position of your child."
Dangers can include a lack of privacy, as privacy settings offer a false sense of security. Even photos of your children posted on closed accounts can be screenshotted and redistributed to larger audiences.
As well as this there is little to no regulation for sharing photos online. You might be able to access a website’s privacy policy, but chances are these will be long and incomprehensible.
You may also be unknowingly handing the photos to big tech companies, as terms and conditions give them the rights to user-generated content.
There is also the risk that you are exposing your child's information with 45.2 percent of posts that feature children on Facebook, also mention the child’s name. 19 percent of posts on Instagram that feature children reference both name and date of birth.
Finally, parents should also be aware of investigators looking into child abuse online, who have found that tens of millions of photos of children shared on social media resurface on pornographic platforms.
Even if the material itself is not explicit, the commentary on them often is on these platforms. Moreover, the photos could be digitally manipulated to take on a sexual nature.
As a parent, you must be mindful of what you post. Posting holiday snaps from the beach with your child in swimwear can seem innocent, but the image can easily be abused.
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