Smartphones, Social Media and Our Children’s Privacy
By Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, PhD
In today’s digital world, one of the most precious things we risk losing is our children’s right to privacy.
More and more parents are documenting every detail of their children’s lives on social media from the delivery room to their first steps, birthdays, and even tantrums without a thought for the child’s future or consent.
Yes, social media is a brilliant innovation, but it’s also eroding the very core of our humanity and sense of family. What used to be private moments are now public content.
And while adults have the right to choose how they live online, children do not. They deserve the freedom to grow without the pressure of a curated digital identity.
Some parents even open social media accounts for their babies at birth, turning their childhood into a spectacle.
Others exploit their children’s special needs or emotions for views and money often in the name of “content.” This isn’t just poor judgement; it borders on child labour and emotional exploitation.
We’ve seen cases where grown-up children sue their parents for oversharing their lives online. Can we blame them? Once childhood is gone, it can never be recovered.
Even Michael Jackson, with all his fame and fortune, couldn’t reclaim his lost childhood—and it haunted him.
It’s not about banning child actors or keeping children out of the public eye entirely. Child actors perform roles, are paid, and are protected by laws.
That’s very different from turning your child’s every waking moment into entertainment.
Our lawmakers must act.
There’s an urgent need for regulations to protect children from social media overexposure by parents and guardians. Childhood should be lived, not broadcasted.
Let’s give children their privacy and a chance to just be children.
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