Parents could face prison for putting embarrassing photos of their children on Facebook, French authorities have warned.
Mums and dads who overshare pictures of their kids could be embroiled in legal action once their little one grows up.
This is according to the French government, whose infamously strict privacy laws dictate that parents could be slapped with thousands of pounds in fines or jail time for posting intimate snapshots without their children’s permission.
Parents face fines of up to €45,000 if found guilty of breaching their right to privacy when they are young.We all know the mum who posts more than 10 pictures of her baby a day, or the dad who overshares details of his kid’s toilet habits.
But these parents might want to reconsider their approach on social media. Because a professor of education and social research has warned that mums and dads will one day face “backlash” for it.
Professor Nicola Whitton from Manchester Metropolitan University told The Guardian:
“I think we’re going to get a backlash in years to come from young people coming to realise that they’ve had their whole lives, from the day they were born, available to social media.Parents have to work out what’s right for them, but be aware that this is another person, another human being, who may not thank them for it in 15 years to come.
“It may seem hard, but my line would be don’t put pictures online until they’re of an age where it’s appropriate to discuss it with them.”