Privacy and your child

Help your child stay in control of their personal information, online photos and social media identity — and understand what can happen when things are shared.

What are the risks?

• Sharing details like phone number, email, school or home address can expose them to misuse.
• Information gathered online can be used for spam, scams, fraud, unwanted contact or grooming, and even identity theft.
• Photos shared on social networks can travel further than intended or be harvested and reused elsewhere.

How can I protect my child’s privacy when they are online?

• Explore the online world together. Check privacy settings on apps, games and social accounts.
• Play alongside them to learn what information they might be sharing.

Think before sharing or tagging photos of your child. Ask yourself if you can safely share photos of your kids online.

• Ask the person who posted it to remove it.
• If they refuse or you can’t contact them, report it to the site or social platform.
• If it was posted by a school/club, contact them directly and refer to their media policy.

Can I safely share photos of my kids online?

Include them in decisions about what to share. It’s a chance to model good privacy habits.

• Avoid full names, uniforms or anything that identifies locations (home/school).
• Don’t post schedules of children’s activities.
• Share only with people you know and trust; use privacy controls.
• Check with other parents before posting or tagging images that include their children.

• Many photos include time/date and GPS data. Platforms may expose this—double check.
• Review device/app location settings and limit geo-tagging.

Some social networks’ Terms let them use/store shared photos and information. Read them before posting.

• Check the organisation’s photo/recording policy and follow any rules at private venues.

• Share privately via email.
• Use a secure online service with access controls.
• Use MMS or a private family album instead of public timelines.

This material has been adapted with permission from the Australian Government eSafety Commissioner . Permission to adapt content does not constitute endorsement of material by the eSafety Commissioner.