Privacy fears as eight in 10 kids have photos online

Eight out of 10 children under the age of two have their pictures online via sites like Facebook, raising privacy and even paedophilia concerns, an internet security company said.

A study by Melbourne-based AVG found an average of 81 per cent of toddlers in 10 western countries have a digital presence; 92 per cent in America, followed by 91 per cent in New Zealand and 84 per cent in Australia and Canada.

A third of children have their photos online at just a few weeks of age, while a quarter appear on the web before they are even born in the form of ante-natal scans, the company said.

“It’s a sobering thought,” said managing director Peter Cameron. “The vast majority of children today have online presence by the time they are two years old - a presence that will be built on throughout their whole lives.”