A cute photograph of a child celebrating a birthday, wearing a school uniform, playing at a sports event or simply enjoying a family moment may seem harmless when posted on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram or WhatsApp.
But once that photograph is placed online, parents can lose much of the control they had over where it goes, who sees it and how it may eventually be used.
The growing habit of parents and relatives regularly sharing information, photographs and videos of children online is commonly known as “sharenting” — a combination of “sharing” and “parenting.” UNICEF warns that while parents often share children’s images because they want to celebrate family moments, the practice can create unintended privacy and safety risks.
One of the biggest issues is that young children cannot always understand the long-term consequences of having their photographs and personal information published online.
A parent may see a photograph as a harmless childhood memory, but the child may feel differently when they become older and discover that thousands of people have seen, saved or shared it.
UNICEF notes that involving children in decisions about sharing their information can also provide an opportunity to teach them about consent and privacy.
The risks can become greater when parents share more than just a photograph.
A seemingly innocent post can reveal a child’s name, school, uniform, neighbourhood, favourite places, regular activities, birthday, family members or even the location where the photograph was taken.
A back-to-school photograph, for example, may unintentionally display the name or logo of a school. The NSPCC advises parents to avoid posting information that identifies a child’s school or location.
Parents should also remember that a private social-media account does not make an image completely private.
Someone who is allowed to see the photograph can potentially download it, screenshot it or reshare it elsewhere. The NSPCC specifically warns that even when an account is private, followers can still choose to share images with other people.
Another concern is misuse of children’s photographs.
Images posted online can potentially be copied, manipulated, redistributed or used in ways the original poster never intended. Child-safety organisations therefore encourage adults to think carefully about how photographs and videos are taken, stored and shared.
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There is also the issue of digital footprints.
A child may eventually grow into a teenager or adult and discover that a large collection of childhood photographs and stories already exists online.
Some of those posts may be funny to a parent but embarrassing to the child.
A photograph taken during a difficult or vulnerable moment could become particularly uncomfortable later in life. The child’s digital identity may effectively have started before they were old enough to make decisions about it.
The risks are not limited to photographs posted by parents themselves.
Parents should also think carefully before allowing relatives, friends, schools, sports clubs and other organisations to publish identifiable photographs of their children. The NSPCC recommends appropriate consent and safeguarding considerations when organisations share children’s images online.
As children become older and start using social media themselves, another layer of risk emerges.
Young people can encounter bullying, peer pressure, contact from strangers, harmful content and other unsafe interactions online.
UNICEF also warns that sexual exploitation and abuse are among the serious threats children can face online, with technology and artificial intelligence changing the ways children may be exposed to such risks.
This does not mean parents should never photograph or celebrate their children online.
The issue is how much information is shared, who can access it and whether the child’s privacy and safety have been considered first.
Before posting, parents can ask a few simple questions: Does this photograph reveal where my child goes to school? Does it show our home or regular location? Does the caption provide information a stranger could use? Would my child be comfortable with this photograph being online years from now? Who can actually see the post?
Parents should also regularly review their social-media privacy settings, limit who can see children’s photographs, remove unfamiliar followers and consider sharing particularly personal family moments privately rather than publicly. UNICEF recommends checking privacy settings on devices and controlling access to information such as photos and location data.
For older children, parents can also involve them in the decision.
Simply asking, “Are you comfortable with me posting this?” can help teach an important lesson: a child’s image and personal information belong to them too.
The internet does not forget easily.
A photograph that takes five seconds to upload can remain copied, downloaded or reshared long after the original post has been deleted.
For parents, therefore, protecting a child’s privacy online is not about being overly cautious or refusing to share happy family moments.
It is about remembering that a child deserves a say in their digital identity — and that not every precious family memory needs to become a public one.
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