Let's talk about the growing and dangerous trend of overexploitation of minors on social media in Spain and around the world.
First, let’s define and put the topic into context. “Instamoms” and “Instadads” are terms shareholder database used to describe parents or caregivers who actively share their children’s lives on social media , especially on platforms like Instagram. These parents post photos and videos of their children, documenting everyday moments, important milestones, and aspects of parenting.
These accounts often have a considerable following, as they show parenting in an authentic and engaging way. In fact, the number of likes that a single account receives for photos where children appear and for posts where children do not appear is alarming.
The main purpose of these accounts is supposed to be to share parenting experiences and connect with other parents online.
While many of these accounts are genuine and seek to create a supportive community for other parents, there have also been concerns about overexposure of minor children online. Some parents may share overly personal or intimate information about their children, raising concerns about children's privacy and safety online.
Furthermore, this trend can lead to the exploitation of children's images for commercial purposes if they are associated with brands or companies.
The risks of overexploitation of minors on the Internet
Sharing your children's lives online carries significant risks :
Exposure to strangers: By having public profiles, these children can be exposed to unwanted interactions from strangers. When a photo is uploaded to any social network, you don't know who can see it, and not only that, they can download the photo and share it. Deleting an image on the internet is almost impossible.
Loss of privacy: Overexposure can lead to the loss of privacy of minors, as intimate details of their lives are shared. Can you imagine if your parents had posted to X people the first time you lost a tooth? Or uploaded a video to see your reaction to the death of a pet? Or explained to thousands of strangers that you were going to the bathroom wrong? Or had a broken hug? It's a little chilling to think that thousands of people behind a screen that you don't even know know your name, how much weight you were born with, if your birth was complicated and how long it took you to walk or ride a bike.
Commercial exploitation: Some accounts may fall into the trap of promoting products and services related to parenting, which can lead to ethical and legal issues. It is common to see accounts of instamoms and instadads advertising and the protagonists are their children.
This overexploitation has a name: “ Sharenting ” – where children and adolescents access social media passively. Children cannot give full consent to their lives being made public online, and this can have long-term consequences as they grow up and develop their own digital identity.
If you have seen interviews with these content creators, when they are asked about this problem, they usually say: I always ask my son for permission to post.
Do you think a 4- or 5-year-old child knows what he or she is giving consent to? Does he or she have enough capacity to decide on this?
I highly doubt that these parents upload this type of content to harm their children (at least most of them), the problem lies in the lack of information . The world is not rosy. There are very bad people who may be using these photos of minors for other purposes.
The Home Office has produced a report on the “ Profile of those arrested for offences relating to child pornography ”. 72% of the material confiscated from sexual offenders is images of partially or fully naked children which have no erotic or sexualised connotations. These images come from a variety of sources, such as commercial sources, family albums or legitimate sources. In other words, these are photographs which at first appear to be normal and everyday, but which are used for disturbing purposes by these offenders.
Overexposure of children's lives in the digital age can have serious consequences and endanger their well-being . Furthermore, it has been observed that 23% of children already have a presence on the internet even before they are born, as their parents post images of ultrasounds during pregnancy. This percentage increases significantly, reaching 81%, before children are 6 months old.
But there are other dangers - these children face cyberbullying and grooming (when an adult contacts a child or teenager in order to gradually gain their trust and then involve them in sexual activity). They could also face scams , identity theft or even discrimination , since employers or educational institutions may make decisions based on what they find online.
If your parents have published your entire childhood, imagine how easy it can be to trick you, scam you, or steal your data since it is public.
What does the law say about the exploitation of minors?
Instadads and instamoms should be aware that there may be legal consequences for using images. Let's look at the legislation that regulates this.
Let's first go to the international standards, we have article 12 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights :
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 16 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child refers to the previous article, but mentioning children:
1. No child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence nor to unlawful attacks upon his or her honour and reputation. 2. The child has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
