Children deserve to be heard and respected both as human beings, and as developing individuals with their own personal opinions and thoughts. Their development is dependent on caregivers, who provide them with support and protection. However, they are competent and capable, and deserve ample opportunities to share their thoughts and opinions on matters that affect them and be included in decision-making. Just as you, an adult, would expect to have your view be acknowledged, and your thoughts heard, a child has the same right. Their ability to make well-informed choices may be limited depending on the circumstances, and attention to this fact is important when considering their right to privacy.

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    Depending on maturity level and circumstances, influence over decisions may not be realistic. Surely, you can understand why this rational is applicable when considering a child’s right to privacy. Considering how a child may or may not wish to be viewed is up to the discretion of the child. Many of us have identified an idea of our “self-image” or a “personal-brand” that we feel holds true to who we are and what we care about. For a child who is still developing, they have not yet formulated a personal identity that they can take ownership of and promote. By understanding a child’s limitations in regards to their maturity level, one can rationalize that  the consent to use a child’s image and post online is left to the parent’s discretion. However, we wish to remind the public that once an image has made its way online, it is difficult to remove.

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    Our message is to encourage the public to be conscientious when posting images of children because as an individual, that child has a right to not have a presence on social media. Until they are able to decide for themselves what they are comfortable with the world seeing, our recommendation is to reflect on the necessity of postings, and restrict representation online. Understandably, the internet is an incredible space to connect with family and friends across the globe, and certainly this convenience is a perk. But a perk that comes at what cost? Your child’s right to privacy? - to be independent and “free from unwanted or undue intrusion or disturbance in one’s private life or affairs; freedom to be let alone” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2018).