Sharing children's photos Parents, watch out! Free advice on sharenting

Parents have a great responsibility when they post pictures of their child online. At the online parents' evening on blue Zoom D on November 19, there will be expert tips on how to deal with children's pictures online.

The great-aunt comes to visit or an old friend, and our parents dig out the photo album with the old baby photos - and reveal snapshots of us. Chocolate-smeared mouths, stiff portraits from our school days and strange outfits.

Embarrassing, but not so bad! After all, the children's photos are safely tucked away and only accessible to close relatives. Right?

Sharenting: risk of cyberbullying and co.

More and more parents are now sharing photos of their children online. "Parents are putting their children's privacy and safety at risk," says Michael In Albon, Youth Media Protection Officer at Swisscom.

When parents share photos and information about their children on social media, this is known as "sharenting". The term is a combination of "sharing" and "parenting" and harbors some risks for the child.

Sweet snapshot or safety risk?

It is often difficult to assess who has access to information on the internet. If you post a picture online, you lose control of it. And unfortunately, we are often overly generous with our security settings.

When sharing children's photos online, strangers can misuse images and videos for sexualized contexts. Embarrassing or inappropriate images give rise to cyberbullying - perhaps many years later - and put a long-term strain on children. And last but not least: At no point does the child have the opportunity to influence their own online presence.

Tips for parents at the online parents' evening

On Swisscom Campus, parents can find helpful information on the topic of sharenting (as well as online bullying, sexting and cybergrooming).

On 19 November, Swisscom is organizing a free online parents' evening together with blue News, at which three experts will provide recommendations on how parents can protect their child's privacy and safety online.

Parents are only taking their duty of care seriously if they share children's pictures online very cautiously and in compliance with certain rules or ask older children for permission beforehand. And they should always check whether the social media account settings are set to "private".

Ask the experts

But my child looks cute in the photos - surely they're not being bullied for that! Can't followers take screenshots and share them online despite the privacy settings? And if I share the pictures via Whatsapp, everything is ok, isn't it?

Claudia Lässer discusses these and many other questions with her guests at the online parents' evening. They are: Reto Fehr, journalist, content creator and father; Stephanie Karrer, psychologist and Michael In Albon, youth media protection officer at Swisscom.

Parallel to the broadcast, you can ask your questions to media experts in the YouTube chat. They will then be answered directly.