It may be done in humour and fun or just to pass the time, but sharing pictures and other content of children online can be harmful to the child. Experts say exposing children to the internet, especially in a negative light can affect their mental well-being. It is worrying considering that many may not be aware of it. To add to this, there is currently no law or policy in the country to monitor and intervene on such issues.
Watching a video especially one that has a child in it is always fun. But posting content of children online can affect the child more than you think and can even affect their mental health.
Dr Nirola, a psychiatrist at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, says although the hospital hasn’t seen any such case as of now, people should be mindful of posting content of children online.
“The thing is, whenever a child’s picture or video is posted on social media and when the child is projected as a perpetrator what is going to happen to a child is very similar to what happens when somebody is exposed in front of a big crowd where you are either penalising the child or fighting with the child. It can create a lot of trauma in the child. Any trauma or any adverse experiences the child has can lead to developmental or lots of mental disorders in later life during adolescents or other things. It can also lead to behavioural disorders.”
The National Commission for Women and Children says people should not be posting content about children without permission from the child or the parents.
“I think first we need to understand that no child should be subjected to arbitration or unlawful interference with his or her privacy of or the family or other correspondents. It is also an unlawful attack on his or her honour and respect, there are tangible harms that would lead to our children. Especially that will relate to mental health. Which negatively affects the development,” said Kinley Dorji, NCWC’s deputy chief.
The Media Development Division under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Employment says it is challenging to monitor and regulate such type of content.
“Given that these contents are shared before the parents or the guardians or the caregiver know, by the time the people who are related to the children come to know about it, it is quite late which poses not just harm but future implications on the children,” said Sangay Tenzin, assistant programme officer, MoICE.
However, the ministry has been creating awareness among the public. He added because of the challenges, sharing posts of children online has increased over time.
“In my opinion, different memes are being made. And it has become a popular trend too. On top of that the memes are also made for our children too. If it is a funny one, I feel every parent would laugh it off. However, if a bad post is being posted online about our children, even if I am in their place I will not feel happy about it. Hence, it would be helpful if somehow we can stop it,” said Chogyal Wangmo, a parent.
“As I am also a youth, I think that 90 per cent of people are not concerned about the impact the content posted brings on others. For instance, my friend made a meme and from there he got lots of like ad followers on social media. Not thinking about the impact it has on the people, he started making more of it,” said Leki Wangmo, a student.
Bhutan became a member of the International Telecommunications Union or ITU in 1988 which mandates its members to come up with a National Child online protection guideline. The country is yet to have one.
Sonam Yuden
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
