Experts caution parents on sharing children’s photos online as school year begins

January 16, 2026 5

Image credit: Film and Publication Board, X

South African content regulator, the Film and Publication Board (FPB), is urging parents to be cautious when posting photos and videos of their children starting school on social media.

While such posts often celebrate an important milestone, the FPB warns that images showing children in school uniforms, especially with visible school names, could put them at risk.

The warning comes as governments around the world tighten regulations to protect children online. This follows growing concern over Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, which has faced backlash for generating explicit deepfake images without consent, including content involving women and children.

Malaysia and Indonesia have since blocked the chatbot, while regulators in the United Kingdom, United States, and Europe are investigating possible legal action.

@newsweek

United Kingdom PM Keir Starmer said the UK ‘won’t back down’ in its dispute with Elon Musk over deepfakes created using X’s AI tool Grok, amid reports the platform has moved to restrict the chatbot from generating sexualized images. #news #Newsweek #Grok #artificialintelligence

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Authorities in the United States and Europe are also assessing possible legal action over the misuse of deepfake technology.

FPB Manager for Communications and Marketing, Nthabiseng May, says sharing such images can make children easier to track and may allow criminals to manipulate the content for harmful purposes, including the creation of child sexual abuse material.

She has also urged parents to take extra precautions online and to ensure that child-focused platforms, including chat rooms and mobile apps, are properly moderated to prevent abuse. She stressed that protecting children online is both a legal and moral responsibility.

Meanwhile in Australia, tech giant Meta has urged authorities to reconsider a world-first ban on social media use for children under 16, arguing it could push young users onto less regulated platforms. Since the ban came into effect in December, Meta says it has blocked more than 500,000 underage accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

Australian authorities maintain the law is necessary to protect children from harmful content and algorithm-driven risks.

South Africa’s FPB echoes these concerns, warning parents to take extra precautions when sharing content involving children online.

@ausvstheagenda

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared the under-16s social media ban a raging success. #Melbourne #Sydney #Brisbane #Adelaide #Australia

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