Half of Spanish parents publish photos of their children on the internet, a practice that intensifies in summer

Almost half of Spanish parents (47%) publish photos of their minor children on the Internet, a practice that intensifies during the summer holidays, despite the fact that86.7 percent are concerned about these images ending up in the hands of third parties.

The survey ‘Sharenting: Child privacy and family coexistence in the digital age’ published by Kaspersky reveals the details of a significant gap between families’ concern and how they later behave on the Internet and on social networks, since 55.5 percent publish photos in which the child’s face is seen and 65.3 percent of all exposure on networks takes place during early childhood.

At least, according to the survey, There are 44.5 percent who do try to pixelate or find an angle that helps the minor not be identifiable when a photo is taken.

According to the operator Finetwork, mobile data traffic in Spain increased up to 30 percent during the summer of 2025 compared to the rest of the year. According to the Kaspersky survey, The most used channel is WhatsApp (48.9%)followed by Facebook (24.5%) and Instagram (22.8%).

There are several reasons to understand why parents share photos of their minor children, and the main motivation is that They want to share moments with family and friends, as 48.5 percent of those surveyed have shared. The other reason is to keep memories of important stages (32.1%), while 12.5 percent do it to feel closer despite the distance.

The age of the child also influences their digital presenceand the younger they are, the more parents share their progress. In fact, 65.3 percent of all online exposure is concentrated in early childhood. The stage from 3 to 7 years old concentrates 38.1 percent, and that from 0 to 3 years old, 27.2 percent.

The danger of exposing minor children by publishing photos on the Internet or networks is very present among Spanish parents, and 55.6 percent are aware of it. Among the greatest fears, 64.7 percent are concerned that photos will be used for commercial or illicit purposes Without consent, 52.7 percent fear that an involuntary fingerprint will be created that affects the privacy of the minor, and bullying is another fear that half of those surveyed point out.

“The digital footprint of a minor begins long before they are aware of what the Internet is, and it is the responsibility of adults to protect their present and future privacy to prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands,” warns the Communications Director of Kaspersky Iberia, Vanessa González.

Kaspersky gives a series of recommendations to ensure the safety of children, such as private profiles, which must be set to their strictest level, or closed channels for sharing photos in group chats with trusted people.

Precisely, hiding the child’s face is one of Kaspersky’s recommendations when taking a photograph, along with not revealing information about routines, schedules or plans.