Photos, videos… These parents who publish the lives of their children online

Should the lives of our children be shared with other Internet users? Birthdays, holidays, family scenes… do they have to go around the web, collect “likes” and hearts to be completely successful? A study published by the Observatory of digital parenting (Open), this Monday, February 6, shows that families provide very different answers to these questions.

There are, first of all, the connected tribes, for which the exposure of children goes without saying. Thus, 53% of parents explain having “already shared content about their children”, either from birth (43%), or a little later, during their first five years (91%). The most used social network then remains Facebook (93%), far ahead of Instagram (37%) and Snapchat (21%). This first category of parents is young (55% are under 36) and consists mainly of mothers, in 49% of cases, against 36% of fathers.

Conversely, there are also refractory tribes, who never post photos or videos of their dear darlings. Not so rare, they still represent 47% of all families, and are distinguished by two characteristics: they are older and more qualified than the others.

A bill has been tabled

To remind everyone of their responsibilities, and better protect children’s privacy, MP Bruno Studer (Renaissance) recently tabled a bill aimed at protecting the image of children online, by expressly making it a element of parental authority that can be withdrawn in the event of misuse.

Another contribution of the study: a second part specifies the more specific profile of influencer parents, who derive commercial income from the continuous exposure of their children. Swann and Neo, the Coste family… Some of these family accounts are followed by millions of “followers” ​​and share the smallest actions and gestures of these children, who grow up under the eye of the camera. These families are rare (1.1% of French parents, estimates the Open). Even rarer are those that attract crowds: “the majority are nanoinfluencers” followed by less than 10,000 Internet users, notes the Open.

Up to €5,000 per month

However, almost half make a living from it. Juicy partnerships with brands, duly remunerated product placements, gifts… 70% of influencer parents report earning up to €5,000 monthly and 77% have at least one ongoing partnership with a brand.

A manna conducive to certain abuses. This activity can be very demanding for young children – 85% of influencer parents expose their children at least once a week – who are imposed high filming rates. This phenomenon, highlighted, for example, by Delphine de Vigan in her novel Children are kings, released in 2022, is now in the sights of the law. Since the law of October 19, 2022, the commercial exploitation of the image of children is regulated. The money in particular must be returned to them at 18 years of age. The Penal Code, for its part, punishes the invasion of the privacy of a minor.

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