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Published 15:09 19 May 2025 BST
Updated 16:14 22 May 2025 BST
Millions of parents share photos of their children online every day. However, parents are warned to be more mindful of what photos they share online, as experts say that criminals just need 20 photos to produce a 'deepfake' of them.
A ‘deepfake’ is “an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said”, according to Merriam-Webster.
Carsten Maple, a professor from the University of Warwick and the Alan Turing Institute, commissioned on behalf of tech company Proton, has warned:
“Parents are unwittingly opening their children up to possible exploitation by criminals who want to use them for their own purposes.”
Experts have warned that sharing photos of their children online could expose them to risks such as identity theft, extortion, and exploitation.
However, it's not only images that can be used, according to Maple.
Social media posts can reveal information like locations or life events, which could be used to create an "online profile for children long before they’re old enough to consent to it":
“Oversharing by parents can lead to numerous problems for the child in the future, including digital records that can be extremely difficult and painful to remove, leading to mental anguish, negative reputations, and harm to others.”
According to research from Perspectus Global, conducted on behalf of tech company Proton, in January 2025, UK parents upload an average of 63 photos a month to social media, 59% of which are family photos.
Maple also warns of big companies that can use photos uploaded to their platform for their agendas:
“Big tech companies frequently use consumer data for their own devices – whether it be creating advertising profiles for targeted marketing, selling data to third parties, analysing photo content, trends, and usage patterns, as well as date and location.”
“They can build up an incredibly detailed profile which includes lots of sensitive information.”
“The implications of where it could end up and how it is used are incredibly far-reaching and can have negative consequences if used inappropriately.”
According to Maple, cloud storage services can use personal information in ways parents may be unaware of.
Perspectus Global research found that 48% of parents have no idea that data from photos stored on the cloud could be accessed and used by the holding companies.
Professor Maple says:
“Not securing children's data not only opens the door for identity theft and fraud but also exposes them to more sinister forms of extortion and exploitation, and with the rise of digital data sharing and data breaches, the need for stronger protections has never been more pressing.”
Professor Maple suggests:
