French kids could sue their parents for posting baby pictures on Facebook
A nuance of French privacy law could help future generations stop their parents from posting intrusive pictures of their children.
The Guardian reports that French authorities are advising parents that they could be hit with a hefty fine of £35,000 in addition to 12 months in prison if they share images of their children on social media without permission.
One concern is that there is an entire generation of children in receipt of a digital footprint created by their parents – a legacy that could follow them across the web for life.
Obviously as youths, and often babies, children cannot provide consent to the posting of images online, or even understand the dangers involved.
Child psychologist, Catherine Steiner-Adair told the Guardian: “Your favourite picture of your child sitting on the potty for the first time may not be their favourite picture of themselves when they’re 13.”
Viviane Gelles, a lawyer specialising in internet privacy told the Telegraph that in French law: “Parents are responsible for protecting images of their children.”
By posting them online with reckless abandonment, they can in turn be harming the future reputation of their children. This in turn opens the very real possibility of litigation, with a grown child able to argue that their right to privacy was breached by their parents.