Sharenting: France Passes World's First Law that Bans Parents from Sharing Children's Photos
Posting a picture of your young child is usually considered a cute gesture around the world. However, France has decided to put an end to it. The French Legislative Assembly passes the world's first law that bans parents from sharing children's photos on social media.
The legislation can prohibit parents from posting pictures of their children on various social media platforms. It can also hold both parents responsible for their children's image rights.
A Rare Case of Children Controlling their Parents?
The decision to post an image will have to involve the child based on their maturity level and age. What if either of the parents disagrees with their child and posts a picture anyway? The parent could be banned from posting and lose authority over the child's image rights.
The bill is also targeting the 'influencer' parents who post pictures of their children on social media to gain followers and earn an extra buck from it.
Is the Move Too Harsh or Welcoming?
Not allowing you to post a picture of your child on social media might seem a bit harsh. However, many believe it can actually be a good move in the longer run. A child is not mature enough to give consent for their pictures to be posted online. Therefore, it would be unethical of parents if their child's picture gets misused.
The French Council of Associations for the Rights of Children highlighted the alerts from Europol and Interpol regarding online sexual abuse and the prevalence of self-produced content by children or youngsters or people around them.
Bruno Struder, the French politician behind the bill, claimed that 50% of the innocently shared photos end up on child sexual abuse forums. Therefore, parents must protect their child's digital privacy.
(Input from various media sources)