Should I post photos of my kids online?

You don’t have to stop sharing photos of your children, and you’re far from alone if you do. The aim is to share more privately and more thoughtfully. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) is honest that posting online “can never be 100% safe”, but its tips, and those from Internet Matters, come down to a few habits: keep your audience small, check each photo before it goes up, and, as your child gets older, ask them first (DPC; Internet Matters).

What is “sharenting”, and why is it in the news?

Sharenting is the word for parents regularly sharing information, photos and videos of their children on social media (DPC). If the word rings a bell, it may be from the DPC’s “Pause Before You Post” campaign, which it launched with France’s data protection authority, the CNIL, in November 2025.

As part of that campaign, the two regulators surveyed parents in Ireland and France. In Ireland, 75% of parents had shared something about their child online in the past year, yet only 10% said they understood what “sharenting” means (DPC research summary). The most common reason was simply keeping friends and family up to date. So if you’ve been posting the school play for granny, you’re in very good company.

What are the risks?

None of this is about scaring anyone off. It’s worth knowing what the experts have in mind, so the tips below make sense. The DPC and Internet Matters point to a few things (DPC; Internet Matters):

• A digital footprint they didn’t choose. Photos and stories posted today can still be around when your child is a teenager or applying for jobs, often shared without their knowledge or say.
• Giving away details. A first-day-of-school photo can reveal your child’s name and school. Location tags and background details can show where you live or where they’ll be each week.
• Photos ending up where you didn’t intend. Images can be copied and reposted elsewhere, and the DPC names AI-made fake images as a newer concern.
• Identity fraud. Internet Matters notes that scammers can use details from posts to guess passwords or security answers, or to pretend to be your child.
• Embarrassment and trust. Internet Matters notes that an embarrassing post can follow a child into secondary school, and that posting without asking may make an older child start to lose trust in you.

How to share more safely

These steps come from the DPC’s top tips and Internet Matters’ advice. Privacy menus differ between Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and move around between app versions, so look for the setting names below in your own app.

1. Pick a smaller audience. The DPC suggests sharing family updates in a secure, private messaging app instead of a public feed. If you do use social media, set your profile to Private, or use a close friends list, so a post only reaches people you pick.
2. Tidy your followers. Every so often, go through your friends and followers and remove anyone you wouldn’t happily hand a printed photo of your child to (DPC). Internet Matters puts it simply: share only with people you actually know.
3. Turn off location. Switch off geo-location (the setting that adds where a photo was taken) and leave out location tags.
4. Do a final check of the photo. Before posting, look at the background for a house number, street sign, landmark, school crest or club name. Crop or blur anything that identifies where your child lives, learns or plays.
5. Think about the face. The DPC suggests photos where your child faces away or their face is covered. It also warns that popping an emoji over a face can give parents a false sense of security, so don’t rely on that alone.
6. Use the “printed copy” test. The DPC’s rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t hand a stranger a physical copy, don’t post it. It specifically mentions health details, school progress and beach photos as things to think twice about.
7. Ask other parents. Before posting a group shot from a birthday party, check with the other children’s parents (Internet Matters). You can also ask family members not to post photos of your children without checking with you first.

Should I ask my child first?

Yes, once they’re old enough. The DPC reminds parents that “it’s their personal data you are sharing, not yours” (DPC). If your child can understand the question, ask whether they’re happy for a photo to go up. If they’re too young, a good test is whether they’d be glad about it when they’re older.

Internet Matters points out that very young children can’t give informed consent, and suggests asking permission more as they grow (Internet Matters). Asking has a bonus, too: it shows your child how to treat other people’s photos, which helps when they get their own phone. Our guide to what age children can join social media covers that next step.

Every family is different. Some parents keep things fully private, some share happily with a small circle. There’s no single right answer, just a few small checks that make whatever you choose a bit safer.

What to do next

• Check your settings this week. Open the app you share on most, see whether your profile is public or private, and turn off location for posts.
• Do a five-minute follower tidy. Remove anyone you don’t actually know or wouldn’t share a printed photo with.
• Look back at old posts. The DPC suggests reviewing what you’ve shared and deleting anything you or your child are no longer comfortable with.
• Ask your child. Next time you go to post a photo of a child old enough to have an opinion, show them and ask, “Is it OK if I share this?”
• Start a family group chat for everyday photos, so grandparents and aunties still get every update without a public post.