Early childhood centres across Australia enforce strict no-phone and no-smartwatch policies to safeguard children. Educators are reminded daily that even the smallest device could compromise safety. Yet, many centres continue to post children’s faces on public social media platforms, often for marketing purposes.
This contradiction undermines trust. If educators are banned from carrying devices to prevent misuse, how can centres justify exposing children’s faces to the global internet, where risks are far greater and uncontrollable?
Emerging Risks in Australia
Recent Australian news reports have revealed that AI-powered “nudify” tools are being used to exploit innocent school and childcare photos, transforming them into child abuse material. The eSafety Commissioner has already taken enforcement action against such services, warning that even everyday images of children can be weaponised.
This has prompted calls for schools and early childhood centres to stop posting children’s images online altogether. The risk is no longer hypothetical, AI has made exploitation faster, easier, and more realistic than ever before.
Voices from the Sector
- Educators Against Posting: Many argue that parents can share their own children’s images if they wish, but centres should adopt a faceless policy.
- Faceless Alternatives: Centres are successfully sharing photos of children’s hands, backs of heads, or using emojis to obscure faces.
- Policy Pressure: Some organisations push staff to post multiple daily updates with children’s faces, reprimanding those who obscure identities.
- AI Concerns: Educators feel more strongly than ever that children’s images should not be online, given the rise of AI exploitation.
- Parent Engagement: Some centres encourage parents to leave phones in cars during pick-up, fostering presence and connection.
Ethical Imperatives for Early Childhood
- Children cannot consent. Parents may sign forms, but children are too young to understand the lifelong risks of digital exposure.
- Safety outweighs marketing. Social media promotion should never compromise children’s wellbeing.
- Consistency matters. Device bans and privacy policies must align with online practices to maintain credibility.
Recommendations for Centres
- Adopt a Faceless Policy: Share learning environments and activities without identifiable faces.
- Educate Parents: Provide clear information about AI risks and why faceless posting protects children.
- Sector Advocacy: Push for national guidelines banning children’s faces on early childhood centre social media.
- Focus on Connection: Encourage parents to be present at pick-up without phones, reinforcing a culture of safety and care.
Early childhood education is built on safeguarding the most vulnerable. With AI now capable of turning innocent images into abuse material, the sector must lead decisively: protect children’s privacy, go faceless, and advocate for stronger national protections.
Further Reading
Predators Can Use Photos On Social Media To Target Children
OPINION: We Don't Need 200 Photos to Prove We're Educators
Q: Do All Observations Require A Photo?
Using Personal Devices To Take Photos Of Children
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