Ombudsman for Children in Finland

Save the Children Finland and the Ombudsman for Children call for discretion from the media in publishing images of children: A child's right to privacy must be respected

Save the Children Finland and the Ombudsman for Children are calling on the media to exercise great discretion when publishing images of children, particularly on the websites of the mass media. A child's right to privacy must be given greater respect than it is now. The appeal has been sent out to all chief editors as the National Data Security Week begins today.

Reasons for sending out the appeal include photo competitions for the general public where parents have sent pictures of their children to newspapers and magazines. According to journalist guidelines, the right to privacy must be taken into account when publishing photos. The parents of underage children are considered to be entitled to give permission to publish photos of their children. However, the authors of the appeal point out that parents are not necessarily aware of the risks involved in publishing photos of naked or semi-naked children.

They further stress that journalists must exercise their own discretion even in cases where it is clear that the parents want to publish the photos.

Nudity is a natural part of private family life, and family albums contain all sorts of photos documenting the life of a child. Nevertheless, family photos, however innocent, may acquire a completely different character if published in the media. It is a sad fact of life that images of children are collected and used extensively for sexual purposes, and even pictures taken in complete innocence are in high demand for such purposes.

Also, whenever images or information about a child are to be published, the risk of the child becoming the focus of bullying or embarrassment must also be considered. The published material will be available to the children themselves and their friends, and in the future to their employers and co-workers. If posted on the Internet, the use of the images and information can no longer be controlled. Ultimately, the party publishing an image must also consider these risks.

"The authorities and various organisations have for some time been warning young people against publishing intimate photos of themselves or private information about themselves or people close to them in the public media. This applies to small children too, and it is of the utmost importance that parents and the media exercise their responsibility. A child's right to privacy must be respected just the same as an adult's," say Save the Children Finland and the Ombudsman for Children in their appeal released for National Data Security Week.

Elsewhere online: Safe on the Internet

Mari Laiho
Head of online security
Save the Children Finland
Tel. +358 40  590 1416
mari.laiho@pelastakaalapset.fi

Maria Kaisa Aula
Ombudsman for Children
Tel. +358 9  160 73986
Tel. +358 50  530 9697
mariakaisa.aula@stm.fi