Child Right to Privacy and Social Media – Personal Information Oversharing Parents

Many parents (over)share personal details regarding their children in social media without thinking that this can negatively affect the wellbeing of their child and put him/her at risk. Furthermore, parents forget that they are not owners of their children’s data but just the legal representatives of the child with an obligation to act only for the best interests of the child. A child’s right to privacy and the protection of his/her data is regulated in international, EU and national level, however, this is not enough to avoid malpractice of the data of a child. This article analyses social media dangers and whether parental actions result in privacy and online safety violations focusing on legal regulations and their interpretations in international, EU and national level exploring child’s right to privacy, consent of the child and the right to be forgotten.