Author: Cherry

Sharing Children’s photos online is a natural thing to do if you are a parent. The PSNI Ballymena recently highlighted the rise in “Sharents” – parents who share children’s pictures online. Undoubtably if your child is involved in a organisation like GB, BB, Guides or a sports club you will have been asked if you give you permission for photographs of them to be taken. Many parents are happy to give their permission, and lets face it sharing baby photos on Facebook or other social media sites is a great way to share you joy with friends and family who are far away but here are some key points for any “sharent” to consider from thinkyouknow.co.uk: Who’s looking? When did you last check your privacy settings? On most social networks the default is that any other service user can access your pictures, which may also appear in internet search results. Remember that anyone who can see a photo can also download or screenshot it, and could go on to share it. What else are you sharing? You might be sharing more than what’s in the post. As default, many cameras, phones and apps tag posts and photos with ‘meta-data’ which can include location details and other identifying information. This is potentially risky for any child, but poses particular risks for vulnerable children such as those who have been fostered or...