The hashtags that could put your children in danger on social media revealed in new campaign

By the age of two, 90 per cent of children already have an online presence

A new campaign is highlighting more than 100 hashtags which could be putting your children in danger on social media.

A combination of sharing and parenting, “sharenting” has become commonplace with an increasing number of mums and dads posting photos and videos of their children online.

But while sharing pivotal moments of your child’s life like potty training or family fun on holiday might seem innocent, it’s an unfortunate reality that these images can be misused by predators.

In fact, research shows that by the age of two an enormous 90 per cent of children already have a presence on social media.

And that is exactly why Child Rescue Coalition - a non-profit organisation, which works with law enforcement to track, arrest and prosecute child predators – has launched a new campaign to educate parents about overexposing their children online.

Titled "Kids For Privacy" the campaign is highlighting more than 100 hashtags including #pottytraining and #bathtime which it believes puts children at risk by encouraging parents to post images of their child holding handwritten “Privacy Please” signs to conceal their identity.

It is hoped that the movement will raise awareness and get parents to understand that all children have the right to privacy.

“While parents are naively posting intimate photos and details about their kids on social media, they have no idea how easily these images can be screenshot and downloaded by predators and sex offenders, who can manipulate, misuse and repost them on other sites,” chairman of the Child Rescue Coalition, David Angelo said in a statement.

“The end result may be a generation of children growing up who find much of their private lives have been online for years. And that may be dangerous.”

To protect children, Child Rescue Coalition is also urging parents to ask themselves a series of questions before sharing their child’s image on social media, including:

“Why am I sharing this? Would I want someone else to share an image like this of me? Would I want this image of my child viewed and downloaded by predators on the Dark Web? Is this something I want to be part of my child’s digital life?”

The campaign comes after the NSPCC children’s charity urged parents to think twice about posting photographs of their children on social media last year.

It explained the dangers of creating a digital footprint for children so early on, while stressing the importance of asking them for permission before posting any pictures or videos of them online.