Most parents in the digital age share photos, funny stories and videos or celebrate their child’s birthdays on their personal social media accounts.
But a Deakin University law academic believes parents might want to think twice before sharing too much personal information online, or risk infringing their child’s human rights.
In a submission to the UN, Deakin Law School associate lecturer Cassandra Seery questioned how children’s rights might be negatively impacted.
Recent research found three in four parents frequently post photos and videos of their kids online.
In the submission, she said the evolution of the digital age “allows adults to share a child’s personal information in an instantaneous and unregulated way”.
She warned that it was impossible to tell how the data shared online could be used.
“For example it has become increasingly common practice for prospective employers to conduct ‘social media screenings’. These processes could also be applied to children in a range of circumstances,” she explained.
“Private education institutions may choose to screen parents’ profiles to determine the suitability of prospective students, which may impact on rights relating to non-discrimination and access to education.
“Today’s children are also the first generation to have their personal information shared online from birth.”
Ms Seery said there needed to be more education for parents and children to raise awareness about the risks of sharing information online.
The submission was to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to form a ‘general comment’ on the topic.
The office of the e-safety commissioner has tips for parents about sharing content online.
