"School Again": Why You Shouldn't Publish Your Child's Report Card on the Internet

The end of the school year is a time for report cards, holiday photos and parental pride. But is it safe to publish a child's image online? Konrad Ciesiołkiewicz, an expert on children in the digital environment from Korczak University, warns against the consequences of children's ill-considered presence on the internet.

Parents are not aware of the dangers flowing from the internet

– I look rather with horror – he says about publishing school reports online. – 80 percent of us believe that sharing a child's image is positive or neutral, and we are completely unaware of the threats we expose a young person to – he explains. He also emphasizes that a child is often treated as an object for fulfilling adult ambitions. – We like to brag about our children, but then they are used to achieve our goals – he states.

But we cannot ignore the real dangers that come with such activities. These include peer violence, stigmatization, and – what is particularly alarming – exploitation by criminal circles. – The average time of online grooming is now 45 minutes, the record is 19 seconds – warns Ciesiołkiewicz.

The conversation also brings up the issue of the responsibility of institutions that also share images of children without hesitation. "We shouldn't start with parents, but with schools, kindergartens and sports clubs. If they publish images of children, it becomes a social norm," the expert said.

During the conversation, attention was also drawn to the fact that although young people usually know more about online threats than their parents, digital education programs at school do not devote much space to it. - 63% of teenagers say that no one talks to them about it - the expert cites research.