Parents are being cautioned about the risks of sharing pictures of their children online, as new research reveals that over 900 images are posted before a child's fifth birthday. The study, conducted by online safety site The Parent Zone on behalf of the knowthenet campaign, found that on average 973 photos are shared by parents before their children turn five.
Despite this high volume of sharing, 17% of parents admitted they had never checked their Facebook privacy settings, and nearly half (46%) had only checked them once or twice. The research highlights that Facebook remains the most common platform for photo-sharing, yet many users fail to adjust settings to control who can view their posts.
The knowthenet campaign, run by internet registry site Nominet, warns that parents are creating a digital footprint for their children over which the children have no control. Russell Haworth, chief executive of Nominet, said: “We all love to share those precious moments in our children’s lives with friends and family... but it also has the potential to lead to accidental over-sharing.”
Vicki Shotbolt, founder of The Parent Zone, added: “Today’s youth is the first generation to grow up with social networks as an integral part of everyday life... No one would want a potential employer browsing through their baby photos, so making sure privacy settings are applied properly is always a good idea.”
The campaign offers tips for parents, including checking privacy settings, thinking before uploading, and staying up to date with social media site updates and new features.
