The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has urged parents and guardians to exercise greater caution when sharing photographs and videos of children on social media, warning that such content could pose significant risks to their safety and privacy.
In a statement, the Ministry said the growing monetisation of content on platforms such as Facebook has led to a sharp increase in the sharing of photographs and videos featuring children, both with and without parental consent.
The Ministry noted that individuals and organisations have also been using videos of children for commercial purposes, often presenting them as content highlighting their talents or daily activities.
It warned that videos and vlogs containing details about a child’s daily routine, activities and lifestyle could inadvertently reveal personal information to outsiders and potentially compromise the child’s safety.
The Ministry also highlighted concerns arising from developments in artificial intelligence (AI), noting that photographs and videos of children available online could potentially be misused to create fabricated obscene or sexually explicit material.
In view of these risks, the Ministry called on parents, guardians and all others responsible for the care and protection of children to exercise responsibility and remain vigilant when posting or permitting content involving children to be shared on social media.