The booming development of social networking is producing more and more "sharents" who constantly post, blog or tweet about their children on various social media apps. This hobby, however, poses risks of leaking minors' personal information. Here are some tips from the Beijing Internet Court (BIC), home of China's first internet tribunal for minors. 

According to the Personal Information Protection Law, which came into effect on Nov 1, 2021, sensitive personal information refers to personal information that, once leaked or illegally used, is likely to cause damage to the human dignity of natural persons or endanger their personal and property safety. It includes biometrics, religious beliefs, specific identity, healthcare, financial accounts, whereabouts, and covers the personal information of minors under the age of 14 as well.The handling of personal information of a minor under 14 needs the approval of the minor's parents or other guardians, and is subject to specific formulated rules. 

Surveys have shown an increase of legal violations and crimes relating to the leaks or inappropriate use of personal information of minors in cyberspace. The inclusion of personal information of minors under 14 in the definition of sensitive information fully reflects the high importance attached to the protection of personal information of minors.

Therefore, the BIC would like to offer the following tips to parents:

1. Make sure the children be aware not to disclose their information such as names and addresses to strangers when they are surfing the internet, and cultivate their sense of self-protection of their personal information.

2. When posting on social media about their children, parents should make sure not to include school names, hobbies, locations and family addresses, or similar information. They should strictly control dissemination of data about their kids to avoid its being used illegally.