The video was created to raise awareness about the dangers of sharing photos and videos of children online.
It is part of the DPC’s "pause before you post" campaign, which highlights the dangers of "sharenting".
This is the practice of parents regularly sharing information, photos and videos about their children on social media.
The ad has gone viral, with many people praising the awareness campaign.
One X user shared: "Brill public awareness campaign from the Irish DPC on the harms of parents sharing children’s data ('sharenting,' as it is colloquially and confusingly termed). More of this, please!"
Another wrote: "This should be compulsory viewing for all those parents who share so many (too many) details of their kids’ lives online."
A third added: "Excellent post from @DPCIreland on the dangers of 'sharenting.' Keep your children’s data private this season and always – you do owe an obligation to their future selves in a rapidly digitising and AI-driven world!"
Yet another commented, "There’s no amount of money anyone could pay me to use my child as content. Never."
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In the video, the mother and father of a young girl are seen walking through a shopping centre with their child.
Various strangers walk by and speak to the girl like they are friends, to the growing alarm of the family.
One man comments: "Ah I see you’re back playing football Thursdays Éabha. Hope your dad picks you up on time for once."
The closing scene then shows him viewing and saving images of Éabha shared online by her father.
The video shows how social media posts shared by a young child’s parents can lead to strangers gathering an abundance of information.
In this scenario, they could access the child’s name, age, date of birth, photos of her friends, the name and location of her football club, her training schedule and the fact that her dad is not always on time to collect her.
Every time you share their life online, you risk sharing their personal data with the world. Pause before you post. pic.twitter.com/dN5qRfWkv5
— Data Protection Commission Ireland (@DPCIreland) November 24, 2025
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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