The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has warned parents, guardians and caregivers against posting photographs and videos of children on social media, saying the growth of platform monetisation is turning children’s images into a revenue stream.
The ministry said the expansion of monetisation features on platforms such as Facebook has driven a rising volume of uploads, and that individuals and organisations are using children’s photographs and videos for commercial purposes — often presented as showcasing a child’s talents or everyday activities, and sometimes without the knowledge or consent of their parents or guardians, the Daily Mirror reported.
Two distinct risks
The warning separates two harms.
The first is exposure. Routinely posting videos of a child’s daily routine reveals their home, school and movements, which the ministry says puts their personal safety and privacy at serious risk.
The second is AI manipulation. Images and videos shared online can be reworked using artificial intelligence into explicit or otherwise harmful content involving children, Hiru News reported. That risk does not depend on the original image being sensitive — an ordinary family photograph is enough source material.
The ministry urged parents, guardians and everyone responsible for children to use social media responsibly and to exercise far greater caution before sharing content involving minors.
Where this sits
The warning is aimed at parents, which distinguishes it from the national media guidelines drafted this month to protect children’s privacy in news reporting, presented to the same ministry’s consultative committee in Parliament on 22 September. One governs journalists; this one governs households.
It also follows a police warning this month about AI-generated child sexual abuse material, and documented cases of deepfake imagery circulating in Sri Lanka.
No enforcement measure, platform request or legal change accompanies the warning, which is framed as guidance rather than regulation. The ministry did not say how many cases of commercial misuse it has recorded.
