Sharenting: the practice of sharing photos and details about your __kids online is almost a ubiquitous part of being a parent these days. In fact, if you’re a parent, and your social media feed is devoid of your kid’s antics, people could indeed start to worry.
But does this practice need a serious rethink?
In Austria an 18 year-old girl is suing her parents for ‘violation of privacy’ after they have refused to remove over 500 photos of her childhood from their Facebook account.
The girl, who can’t be named for privacy reasons told Austria’s Heute newspaper,
“They knew no shame and no limits,” she said. “They didn't care if I was sitting on the toilet or lying naked in the cot, every moment was photographed and made public.”
Her parents who have over 700 Facebook friends have refused her numerous requests to remove the photos from their account. So, in the first case of its kind in Austria, she took legal action as soon as she turned eighteen.
“I’m tired of not being taken seriously by my parents,” she said.
This landmark case, which will be heard in November this year, could change the landscape of social media. The teenager’s lawyer, Michael Rami, believes that his young client has an excellent chance of winning.
While the legal ramifications of sharing images of your __kids on Facebook may seem to be minimal to many of us, laws across the world are changing to protect children’s right to privacy.
In France, parents are at risk of a jail term or a fine of up to 45 000 euros (A$66 000), if their kids take them to court for breach of privacy or endangering their online security. And in Germany, police have issued a warning on their official Facebook page to warn parents to think again when posting images of their children on social media, due to concerns that paedophiles will use and alter the images.
Do you think before sharing photos of your kids online?
No comments:
Post a Comment