(ANTIMEDIA) United Kingdom — According to a recent study from the U.K.’s Office of Communications (Ofcom), British parents are pretty much split on whether or not it’s alright to post photos of their children online, with just over half refusing to partake in “sharenting” altogether.
The study, part of Ofcom’s annual Consumer Market Report, is based on an online survey of 1,000 adults carried out in April by market research firm YouGov. Results showed that just 56 percent of parents refuse to post images of their children, suggesting the public is still trying to decide about a complex issue.
“Parents are really divided about whether it’s sensible to share photos of their children online,” Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director for Ofcom, told BBC.
Among those who abstain from “sharenting” — the term used by Ofcom — the most common reason given, at 87 percent, was that the lives of children should be private. Another common response from abstainers was that they wouldn’t do it because their kids wouldn’t want them to.
“But 52% of the sharers said their children were happy for photos and videos of themselves to be online,” BBC writes, “and only 15% had concerns about what their children might think when they grew up.”
It was findings like these that prompted the U.K.’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to issue a guidance to parents following the release of the Ofcom study. In a statement to BBC, NSPCC said:
“Each time a photo or video is uploaded, it creates a digital footprint of a child which can follow them into adult life. It is always important to ask a child for their permission before posting photos or videos of them. For very young children, think about whether they would be happy for you to post or if it will embarrass them. If you aren’t sure, it’s best not to post.”
The study also produced interesting findings regarding Britain’s selfie culture. On average, for instance, adults take six photos for each selfie they post and nearly half of them edit the shots beforehand. Additionally, three-quarters of adults responded that other people’s selfies present “rose-tinted” versions of their lives.
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