Whether or not to post pictures of your kids on social media – or how many to post or how often – are conversations that most parents are having now from the day they find out they’re pregnant. Parents are concerned about privacy, about consent, about protecting little identities, and the like, which are all issues that may be somewhat lost in translation when it comes to older generations.
And while I would hope that most grandparents follow the parents’ lead on this topic, this one definitely did not.
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The daughter in this case reportedly asked her mother to remove photos of her grandchildren from Facebook and Pinterest, all of which were posted without the parents’ permission. The grandmother refused, which is how they ended up in a Netherland’s court.
The judge ruled in the daughter’s favor, demanding that the grandmother delete the photos from the internet. He cited the General Data Protection Regulation, passed in the European Union, which states that a mother has legal authority over the public use of images of her underage children.
Since the grandmother’s posting made the images available to pretty much anyone, he felt it fell under the law.
“On Facebook, it cannot be ruled out that placed photos could be distributed and that they may come into the hands of third parties.”
He allowed the grandmother 10 days to remove the photos, and said that if she posts more pictures without express permission from the children’s parents, she will be fined around $55 a day until they’re removed.
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As sad as it is that this case ended up in court, the truth is that parents who are concerned with their children’s privacy online should have the first and final say on what images get posted to a wider audience.
There other concerns as well, covered by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule in the United States, that suggest giving pedophiles access to images of children is also a concern – no website or online publication can share images or information of children under the age of 13 without parental consent.
Image Credit: Pexels
People tend to struggle with setting rules for family members, though it’s in everyone’s best interest if parents stand strong, says technology lawyer Neil Brown.
“Irrespective of the legal position, would it be reasonable for the people who’ve posted those photos to think, ‘Well, he or she doesn’t want them out there anymore?’
Actually, the reasonable thing – the human thing to do – is to go and take them down.”
You can also double check with parents before posting images of kids that aren’t yours on the internet – it can save everyone a lot of trouble and heartache, and maybe some time in court, as well.
What do you think? Ever heard about a situation like this? Let us know in the comments!