Parents who worry about online privacy are more likely to share images/videos of their children on the internet than parents who do not have privacy concerns, a new study from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has found.
In the study of over 2,000 UK parents, the researchers distinguished parents who say their worries about privacy are so great that this limits their online activities. Intriguingly, despite their worries, these “privacy-concerned” parents are not only more likely to share pictures of their children online but are also more likely to share them with large contact lists of over 200 people (20 per cent of privacy-concerned parents) compared to parents in general (10 per cent).
They also post pictures of their children more frequently with 19 per cent doing so at least weekly (compared to 16 per cent of all parents) and post a larger number of pictures of their children, with 20 per cent of this group sharing 10-29 images of their children during the past month compared with 12 per cent of all parents.
When exploring the reasons behind this, the researchers found these parents are more likely to have put practices in place to help ensure they and their children feel comfortable about what they share online and therefore feel able to share more.
For example, parents who are concerned about privacy are much more likely to ask their child for permission before they share pictures online (35 per cent vs 23 per cent of all parents). They are also more likely to be asked specifically by their child to share online (31 per cent vs 19 per cent of all parents).
This suggests, rather than not sharing anything at all, parents can work with their children to ensure their privacy is respected and the benefits of sharing pictures online – such as keeping in touch with family and friends – can be enjoyed.
The researchers are calling on policymakers to ensure parents and children are equipped to navigate issues of privacy online. They are also calling on tech companies to take seriously concerns about privacy so that parents and children do not have to sacrifice their privacy to benefit from the opportunities of connecting online.
Commenting, Professor Sonia Livingstone from the Department of Media and Communications at LSE said: said: “Our research shows that parents are not as reckless in sharing images of their children online as is sometimes supposed, and they are learning how to manage their children’s privacy online. But they face a hard choice between connecting with friends and family and loss of privacy, and the complications of the online commercial environment make their task all the more difficult.”
Dr Alicia Blum-Ross, co-author of the report, adds “Parents deeply value the ease that digital technologies bring to family life. However, a significant percentage of both parents and children lack the skills needed to protect their privacy online – whether it is knowing how to change their settings or deciding what is appropriate to share. With online privacy in the headlines, and as new technologies like AI are increasingly integrated into family homes, it is time for a joined-up approach that will help parents and children gain these crucial skills.”