Young children's perspectives on parental photo-sharing: A proof-of-concept study of a Child-Initiated Consent Protocol (CICP)

Research indicates that children want parents to seek consent before taking or sharing photos online, yet parents rarely engage in such practices despite acknowledging their importance. This proof-of-concept study developed and tested the implementation of a novel Child-Initiated Consent Protocol (CICP) to examine whether young children (ages 4–8) could influence parental consent-seeking behavior through brief role-play training. Ten mother-child dyads participated in pre- and post-training photo-taking interactions. Children found public sharenting practices less acceptable than private photo-sharing. Following CICP implementation, children showed increased photo refusal behaviors, and one child successfully reminded their mother to seek permission, eliciting responsive maternal behavior. However, explicit consent reminders remained rare despite training. Mothers reported minimal embarrassment and maintained perceived control throughout interactions. The study demonstrates both feasibility and limitations of the CICP approach, contributing to understanding positive child effects on parental behavior and informing family-centered digital privacy interventions.