The YMCA on Sunday said a survey has found that nearly one third of the SAR’s parents have shared their children’s photos or videos online without permission, an act which they say could negatively impact relationships or pose privacy risks.

The Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong noted that while 60 percent of parents they surveyed thought uploading such photos or videos would not negatively affect their children, more than 40 percent of the students interviewed said they felt embarrassed about their information being shared online.

One third of the students said they hate having their images put on the internet.

The YMCA survey was conducted between September and November of last year and interviewed nearly 800 local parents and 1,100 students attending primary or secondary schools.

Speaking at a press conference, the organisation’s coordinating secretary Phoebe See called on parents to ask for permission from their children before uploading their images.

“Children may be concerned about being made fun of because of such posts on the internet. These posts may bring them mental stress, or even affect parent-child relations in the long run.”

Meanwhile, Hermina Ng of The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data warned that personal information posted online could be saved by others or used for doxxing, and urged parents to be cautious.