Campaign aims to help parents protect their kids’ Halloween selfies the same way they inspect their Halloween candy

WASHINGTON D.C  (OCTOBER 24, 2023): Parents for Image Consent (P.I.C.), a grassroots non-profit coalition of parents founded to address the epidemic of online image abuse, has launched a nationwide “Safe Selfie” campaign for Halloween. During Halloween more than 71 million trick-or-treaters under 18 years old* and their families take billions of selfies, many of which are posted on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. This is one of the highest volume selfie posting periods during the year, which also means it's a time when image abuse can spike. A recent research study by technology platform ImageShield has revealed that upwards of 65 million Americans have been victims of online image abuse. 

P.I.C. was created by parents concerned about the issue of image abuse and the potential for their children to be victimized by it. The Safe Selfie campaign is an effort to alert parents to the issue and encourage them to be vigilant about the photos that their children post, and to equip them with the tools to determine if they’ve become victims of image abuse during Halloween. One way image abuse occurs is when a personal photo is shared or manipulated without consent. It’s a violation of privacy and in the case of children in particular, it can also risk their safety.

“Parents need to know that the hallowed tradition of trick or treating can quickly become an inadvertently scary moment for many families,” said Cathy Pedrayes, online safety expert and National Spokesperson for P.I.C. “Image abuse affects 1 in 5 Americans and it’s important for parents to know where their kids’ selfies end up after they post them,” added Ms. Pedrayes.

There are currently countless easy-to-access tools and apps that enable users to manipulate images, from AI image enhancers to deep fake generators. The implications of these nefarious technologies are far-reaching, requiring image owners to exert more active diligence over images they share online. 

List of resources for parents:

• ImageShield platform to determine if your images have been abused
  

• How to have the ‘tech talk’ with your family
  

• Google Families portal
  

• Found an image of your child you want removed, here’s a way to do that on Google.
  
  
• The National Cybersecurity Alliance guide for social media
  

• Report explicit image abuse 
  

• Report non-consensual intimate image abuse

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“We are raising the issue of image abuse so that Halloween continues to be a time when families and children create lasting memories rather than a moment when parents realize that their kids’ privacy has been violated,” added Ms. Pedrayes. 

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*The U.S. Adult and Under-Age-18 Populations: 2020 Census

‍About Parents for Image Consent

Parents for Image Consent (P.I.C.), is a grassroots coalition whose mission is to create greater awareness of online image abuse impacting children and provide parents with the tools to safeguard their families’ digital images. Research shows that more than 1 in 5 Americans is a victim of photo abuse*. The organization’s goal is to to inform, educate and advocate for technological and legislative protections to ensure the online safety of our families. 

For more information, please visit:

www.parentsforimageconsent.org

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*ImageShield research report, Exploited: How Americans Photo Sharing Puts Them At Risk, September 2023

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