Face Off: Should there be restrictions on parents posting pictures of their children on social media?
- Each week, two readers debate a hot topic in a showdown that doesn’t necessarily reflect their personal viewpoints
- This week, they discuss whether there should be limitations on what parents can post about their families on the internet
Do parents have a right to post whatever they want about their children online? Photo: ShutterstockIf you are interested in joining future Face Off debates, fill out this form to submit your application.
For: Sophia Ling, 12, German Swiss International School
While social media allows people to share life’s joyous moments, we must recognise that nothing posted online is truly private. Once a photo is posted, it is out of parents’ control and could stay on the internet forever. This has raised concerns regarding the privacy and well-being of children.
When parents share pictures of their children on social media, they are essentially making decisions on their behalf without their explicit consent. Children should have agency over their digital presence, and their consent should be required before parents share their pictures. Respecting a child’s autonomy is fundamental to fostering healthy relationships and instilling a sense of empowerment in them. Children have the right to control their own digital footprint and decide what information and photos are shared about them. In certain countries, such as France and Germany, the legal system gives children the right to their own images, laws that Hong Kong may want to consider adapting.
Face Off: Is ‘sharenting’ on social media good for children?
Restrictions on parents posting pictures of their children on social media are crucial in protecting them from various online threats. “Sharenting” – a term first coined in 2012 by The Wall Street Journal – potentially exposes children to privacy breaches and identity theft. The internet can be a dangerous place, and children are particularly vulnerable to cyberbullying, paedophilia and other forms of exploitation. Many parents do not realise that their “sharenting” habits expose incredible amounts of personal information about their children.
A survey conducted by Security ORG in 2021 found that around 75 per cent of parents shared a picture, story or video of their child online, and more than 80 per cent of parents use their kids’ real names on social media posts. Cybercriminals can parse shared photos – and the accompanying captions – to figure out a child’s name, birthday, and location. By combining this with other information, perhaps gained through phishing or on the “Dark Web” through data breaches, these malicious actors can steal the child’s identity for nefarious means.
Some may argue that restrictions infringe upon parents’ rights to share their experiences and proud moments with their friends and family. While it is important to acknowledge parents’ desire to share, we must prioritise the well-being and privacy of our children.
In conclusion, restrictions on parents posting pictures of their children on social media are necessary to protect a child’s privacy, safeguard them from online threats, and teach them about consent and digital literacy. By implementing these restrictions, we can create a safer and more respectful online environment for children.
Against: Bob Shen Ruililin, 16, Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School
We often don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.
Consider birth an inherently singular experience – not just because it happens to us only once but because we retain no memory of it. Consequently, we don’t classify it as an “experience” in the traditional sense; we reserve that label for events that evoke an emotional response when we remember them.
By this definition, our experiential tapestry is surprisingly sparse. Can you recall yesterday’s meal? Or the day before that? Surveys probing such questions typically expose our tendency to forget, revealing our brain’s knack for prioritising survival-critical memories while discarding the rest as trivial distractions. This natural selection serves us well in some respects, yet it also strips away the rich, though seemingly mundane, textures of our daily lives.
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Historically, the temporary measure of these moments went unchallenged, but the advent of photography and social media has revolutionised how we preserve personal history.
My own childhood is punctuated with vibrant recollections of being perched on my father’s shoulders, the world unfolding before me, all captured on camera. These memories shared on platforms like Facebook within a circle of family and friends have since woven a shared narrative of connection and communal memory.
Social media has redefined community, bonding us through the shared reliving of knowledge, emotions, and experiences. When nostalgia is kindled by a comment at a family gathering or a glance at a photo from years past, it’s a reminder of what we’ve gained, not lost, through these digital archives.
The call for reconsideration on such postings comes from a valid place of concern for privacy and consent. Yes, parents should navigate this space with care, seeking age-appropriate consent when possible and being mindful of the digital footprint they create for their children. Yet, outright restrictions feel like an overreach. It ignores the potential for building a supportive network, a collective memory bank, and an enduring sense of community. Let’s cherish the time we spend with our parents, allowing it to be shared so it’s not lost.