A family vacation photo, back to school or even a class photo: parents are proud of their children and some like to shout it publicly. If sharing photos of your son or daughter seems harmless, the practice can lead to many abuses. In fact, the documentary Children under influence: overexposed in the name of likebroadcast Sunday September 17, 2023 on France 5, sweeps away the excesses on the Web. A one-hour investigation led by journalist Elisa Jadot which raises the question of consent and image rights for children. “In fact, the parent does not own the image of their child, she explains in an interview given to 20 minutes on September 15, 2023. He is not the owner, he is the guarantor. We parents must protect the image of our child.” And for good reason: 50% of the photos and videos distributed on child abuse networks come from social networks and have been shared by parents. “This film is also there to remind us that if there are sick people or sexual predators in our society, they are also connected to social networks and also watch our children”explains Elisa Jadot, who wishes to point out that the documentary is not intended to “judge parents who expose their children on social networks“.
The issue of mental health in grown children
The director of the France 5 documentary, available in replaydraws parents’ attention to specific content: that of children eating fruit and which particularly attracts the attention of child criminals: “Because it makes mouth noises and they love it.” Elisa Jadot warns about the quantity of content put online: “A 13-year-old child has on average 1,300 photos and videos of him on social networks posted by his loved ones.” And about preconceived ideas: “We can say to ourselves ‘I don’t post photos of my child naked, so no risk’, she uses as an example. But not at all. What interests sexual predators may just be a smile, a slightly naughty look.” The journalist highlights the consequences of such exposure on the child, including mental health and self-confidence issues that may arise later. With a desire to “reclaim your life”exposed on social networks.