LAST UPDATE | 27 Nov 2025

AN ALARMING NEW ad by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) that plays out like the opening scenes of a horror movie has been shared widely online. 

The ad – about the dangers of parents over-sharing information about their children – has been described as “terrifying” by some parents – with one noting that it’s “the best ad” on the topic that they had ever seen and another adding that “everyone needs to see this”.

Several people said it opened their eyes to the danger of sharing content online.

“I’m a major culprit on this one. Still, it’s never too late to step into the light,” one parent said. 

It’s part of the DPC’s ‘pause before you post’ campaign highlighting the dangers of ‘sharenting’ – the practice of parents regularly sharing information, photos and videos about their children on social media.

In the scenario that plays out in the ad, the mother and father of a young girl are seen walking through a shopping centre with their child. Various passers-by – all strangers to the family – speak in familiar terms to the girl, to the growing alarm of the family. 

The sequence shows how, from social media posts shared by a young child’s parents, strangers could access their name, age, date of birth, photos of her friends, the name and location of her football club, her training schedule and the fact that her dad is not always on time to collect her.

In the closing scenes one man comments:

“Ah I see you’re back playing football Thursdays Éabha. Hope your dad picks you up on time for once.”

He can then be seen viewing and saving images of Éabha shared online by her father.

Every time you share their life online, you risk sharing their personal data with the world. Pause before you post. pic.twitter.com/dN5qRfWkv5

— Data Protection Commission Ireland (@DPCIreland) November 24, 2025

Mick Moran, one of Europe’s leading experts in policing child sexual abuse material, told The Journal that parents needed to be incredibly careful with their online posts. 

“You don’t know how that content will be used,” he said 

Social media posts of children can be used for everything from sexual pleasure by paedophiles to identity fraud, Moran warned. 

The former garda detective who now heads up Irish national internet reporting organisation Hotline.ie warned parents never to share information about their child unless their social media account had strong privacy settings

He said it was okay to take pictures of your children as long as who can see them is strictly limited. If a social media account is not private, it opens the possibility for people across the world to see the content.

Photos and videos also often contain information about the location and time at which the image was taken which can then also reveal valuable information about your children, such as the places they often visit.

The content can also reveal sensitive information which can lead to identity fraud.

A child’s name, date of birth, the name of their school, or their favourite sports team, can be misused to hack passwords or for identity fraud scams.

A study from the French organisation Children’s Foundation recently found 50% of children’s photos and videos shared on paedo-criminal forums were initially published online by their own parents.

The DPC said embarrassing photos or videos can also lead to school bullying, or impact the child’s personal and professional future.