Who decides how a child’s digital identity will shape their future? Right now, it’s not the child.
As an AI professional and concerned parent, I urge immediate action to protect child privacy in public-facing media. AI’s potential is immense, but progress cannot erase children’s fundamental rights – especially when adults use their images for engagement, branding or personal gain.
Children today are publicly showcased in family vlogs, influencer feeds, news, campaigns and now, AI datasets. But who truly benefits – and at what cost to the child? Unlike adults, children can’t opt out of their exposure. What was once a fleeting childhood moment is now a permanent, machine-readable record – collected, analyzed and repurposed by AI systems beyond their control.
These digital footprints don’t disappear when childhood ends. AI-driven search, facial recognition and data profiling mean that what is shared today may shape a child’s future, impacting college admissions, job opportunities and even personal relationships.
This is a societal responsibility. Every adult who shares a child’s image publicly must be held accountable. Privacy should not be an afterthought.
We must act now:
If we don’t protect children’s privacy now, we risk a future where no one has privacy at all.
Lizzie Kost
Durango