Beware posting pictures of your babies online, mothers warned
PARENTS of newborns are to be given official guidance warning them to be careful about posting pictures of their babies online.
They will also be warned not to use tablet computers as babysitters amid fears that too much screen time may harm a child’s mental development.
The Government says the so-called ‘ child safety from the cradle’ strategy will equip parents to handle future challenges like cyberbullying and online porn.
The idea was welcomed last night by internet safety charities – but one parents group warned that the ‘nanny state has to stop’.
Officials want the advice handed out at classes run by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), as well as nurseries and on Facebook.
Information could also be sent out in Bounty packs, which contain items for newborns such as nappies and creams and are distributed free in hospitals.
The plans – which are open to consultation – are contained in the Government’s Internet Safety Strategy.
It raises fears about parents putting photos of their children online – particularly if they make it possible to identify where they live. This could lead to people stealing the child’s identity, as well as bringing them to the attention of paedophiles.
A study two years ago by internet company Nominet found parents in the UK post nearly 200 photos of their under-fives online every year.
The new strategy document says: ‘This information will focus on the technology and parenting issues that are relevant to this young age group, including the impact of screen time on a child’s cognitive development and information that parents may want to think about before sharing photos of their child, like whether the app has location-sharing enabled, and privacy considerations.
‘By starting with the technology issues that we know parents are already concerned about, we hope to start an informed conversation with them about child safety from the cradle, meaning they feel better equipped to handle future challenges like their child’s use of social media, cyberbullying, harassment and online pornography.’
Around four in ten British threeto four-year- olds use the internet, going online for around eight hours per week on average, often via a tablet computer. Experts have said it could affect children’s eyesight, attention span, motor skills and language proficiency, while one study said it could have an impact on ‘social-emotional development’.
John Carr, secretary of the UK Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety, said: ‘Internet safety is now one of parents’ greatest worries so the sooner we start helping them to get to grips with the issues, the better it will be for the new arrivals.’
But some parenting groups said it was intrusive.
Margaret Morrissey, from pressure group Parents Out Loud, said: ‘There comes a point when the nanny state has got to stop. Giving new parents this sort of advice when they are just out of hospital is nothing to do with government. They should get on and sort out what’s important and leave the rest to parents and the support services.’
Norman Wells, from the Family Education Trust, added: ‘Rather than add to the mountain of advice already available to parents, the Government would do far better to pursue policies that give families a genuine choice to have one parent stay at home to care for their own children if they wish to do so.’
‘The nanny state has to stop’