Children's photos online - how to share them more safely
There is the term «digital footprint». It refers to the photos and information we leave behind online. An American study found that 74 per cent of parents who are online at least once a day also use social networks. And they share photos of their children there. So even small children have a digital footprint. Some develop a real mania from the joy of making their cute offspring accessible to the wider world. The «New York Times» calls it «oversharenting». This can sometimes go quite far, as a look at the parenting blog «STFU Parents» shows: A new mum holds her placenta up to the camera. Another posts a photo online showing the floor on which her youngest child has just relieved himself. Extreme examples, of course, but it's easy for the net-savvy parents of the 30+ generation, who have grown up with Twitter and the like, to forget themselves when it comes to their own enthusiasm about their offspring.
Sharing is not always good
«Sharing children's photos is a need for carers, especially because childcare is often carried out by several people and grandparents are often heavily involved,» explains social media expert and teacher Philipp Wampfler. But we don't always realise the danger of posting pictures of our own children online. They attract people who are curious and easily irritated. Or find our pictures stupid and embarrassing. These photos can later be used against us - by anyone who somehow falls into the network. Sure, we have signed up for these networks ourselves - but have our children? This was also the opinion of the North Rhine-Westphalia police in Hagen, who posted the following message on Facebook a few months ago: «Please stop posting photos of your children on Facebook and Co. for everyone to see. Thank you. » Within six days, the police station's post reached 16 million people. It went on to say that paedophiles could use such photos and publish them elsewhere. This idea caused the online community to go crazy. Users exchanged views in 5000 comments.
Children have privacy
The most important point is the child's privacy. «Parents cannot know what interests a child will have and what pictures they will want to publish of themselves. There is nothing that could lead to a balancing of interests here: The parents' interest in publishing pictures of their children is certainly less strong than the children's right,» says Philipp Wampfler. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, «parents are responsible for younger children and must decide in the best interests of the child». It is therefore important for parents to ask themselves why they are posting a picture of their child on Facebook. Is it about self-expression? Do they want to do something good for the child? And how might the child whose growing up is documented on the internet feel? «Photos that are taken may only be published if the people photographed have given their consent,» says Philipp Wampfler. This applies all the more to underage children. «For me, it's important that families retain control over how the images are stored and who can see them.» Parents manage the child's right to have their image protected. «As soon as children are big enough, they should also be involved, e.g. in the selection of published images. I also think it makes sense to keep deleting or archiving these albums.» Because one thing the internet never does is forget. The biggest dangers lurk in the security settings that parents make in their social networks. These include mentioning names and locations as well as geotagging a picture. There is a wide range of photo-sharing platforms. We show you the safest places to share your photos.
Picture: Fotalia
Tips for parents
- Machen Sie Ihr Profil nicht öffentlich
Wenn Sie Ihr Facebook- oder Instagram-Profil als öffentlich eingerichtet haben, kann jeder die hochgeladenen Fotos sehen. Schränken Sie am besten auf einen ausgewählten Freundeskreis ein und deaktivieren Sie den Haken für die Freigabe in Suchmaschinen. Beim Fotografieren darauf achten, dass das Kind nicht direkt erkennbar ist. Wählen Sie einen Ausschnitt oder eine seitliche Perspektive. Beim Upload per Handy Orterkennung deaktivieren. - Teilen Sie nicht die Kinderfotos anderer
Wenn Menschen Gruppenfotos machen und sie in sozialen Netzwerken teilen, kann das nervig sein. Denn Eltern haben das Recht zu wissen, wer Fotos ihrer Kinder sehen und kommentieren kann. Wenn Sie nicht möchten, dass solche Fotos im Netz auftauchen, ist das Ihr gutes Recht. - Erstellen Sie kein Profil für Ihr Kind
Es hat einen Grund, dass man ein bestimmtes Alter haben muss, um ein Profil bei Facebook zu haben: Kinder sollten selbst entscheiden können, ob sie ihre Daten den Werbetreibenden zur Verfügung stellen wollen. - Behalten Sie das Foto Ihres Kindes in der Badehose für sich
Kinder in der Badewanne sind süss. Doch möchten Sie, dass alle Welt Sie so privat und in persönlicher Umgebung sehen kann? Nur weil die Kinder noch zu klein sind, selber zu entscheiden, ob sie sich aller Welt zeigen möchten, heisst das nicht, dass Sie das tun dürfen. - Kein Kinder-Shaming
Als vor Jahren Dog Shaming aufkam, generierte es so viele Likes und Threads, dass ein Amerikaner auf die Idee kam, das auch mit seinem Kind zumachen. Das Video wurde ein Internet-Hit und oft kommentiert. Die Blossstellung des Kindes wurde mit Menschen geteilt, die es vielleicht nie treffen wird – was aber wird das Kind später einmal davon halten? - Mobbing vorbeugen
Sie machen sich an eine Powerpoint-Präsentation, klappen Ihren Laptop auf, und als Bildschirmschoner oder -hintergrund erscheint ein Foto Ihrer Kinder, womöglich in einer privaten Umgebung. Das kann den Kindern peinlich sein – ausser bei einem eingeschränkten Publikum. Doch das ist im Internet kaum der Fall.
The legal situation
From a legal perspective, parents of underage children are free to decide whether to post images online. Children are not yet considered to have the capacity to understand and act, and this also applies to the right to their own image. However, as soon as the child is able to assess the risks involved, they are allowed to participate in the decision. This is the case between the ages of 12 and 14. Then, in theory, children can also ask their parents to remove images from the internet.
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A parents' guide from the University of Basel is available to download here.
