The booming Aussie photo sharing start-up targeting ‘sharenting’, online security

THERE’S an irritating problem plaguing our social media feeds. But this Aussie start-up might just have the answer.

Tinybeans has 2.2 million users across more than 200 countries. Picture: iStock

WHEN you reach a certain age, your social media feed changes.

Gone are the photos of boozy nights out — and in their place are suddenly photo after photo after photo of friends’ babies.

For some of us, baby spam or “sharenting” is one of the most annoying parts of social media.

But an Australian start-up has the answer.

Enter Tinybeans — a photo sharing platform specifically aimed at parents, designed to boost online safety and security, protect kids’ privacy and stop parents from boring anyone but their child’s grandparents with endless photos of their kids.

Founded by Eddie Geller, Stephen O’Young and Sarah-Jane Kurtini in Sydney in 2012, the site is marketed as a “safer way” for parents to share photos and videos with family and friends — privately.

Mr Geller, himself a father-of-four, said while there was “no such thing as oversharing with family”, friends or acquaintances might feel differently.

Tinybeans is marketed as a ‘safer way’ for parents to share photos with family.

He said Tinybeans was invite-only, with parents uploading content including photos and video which was then automatically emailed to approved contacts daily.

It means there is no way strangers can access any files shared.

“We’re not against sharing externally but we give parents the ability to share as much as they want in a certain environment,” he said.

“Parents hope and trust the wrong people aren’t seeing photos of their kids but sadly sometimes they are.

“Photos can appear in feeds of people you don’t know and before you know it, complete strangers who might be scary around kids might be seeing them. Parents are posting innocent photos that can be seen by other people in thousands of places — there’s a lack of awareness and education, and most parents have no idea.”

Mr Geller said Tinybeans also helped save kids form potential embarrassment down the track.

“Social media is about sharing your life but when you post photos of your kids, you are sharing someone else’s life,” he said.

“In France parents can face prosecution for posting their children’s memories on Facebook — they can go to jail.

“Think about it — if your mum posted photos of you as a kid today, as an adult you’d be horrified, especially with photos that were funny at the time but looking back, are embarrassing — they are there forever.”

Team behind Tinybeans: Sarah-Jane Kurtini, Stephen O’Young and Eddie Geller.

Mr Geller said Tinybeans was also a way of bringing old-fashioned family photo albums into the digital age, and that it was especially helpful as families were increasingly spread out across the country or even overseas.

That was why Adelaide mum Caitlin Caesar, whose family is scattered throughout Australia and the world, signed up for the app.

With her husband in the air force, the couple move often, which means close family members miss out on milestone moments.

Now pregnant with the couple’s second child, Ms Caesar said the app would help introduce the baby to the wider family.

“We live in Adelaide and my family are spread throughout Australia. My husband’s family are in South Africa, Newcastle and the States,” she said.

“We’ll put photos up right after the birth that way all our family and friends across the world can be a part of this special moment.”

Today Tinybeans has 2.2 million users across more than 200 countries — including radio host Michael “Wippa” Wipfli.

It listed on the ASX last year and now has teams in both Australia and the US.

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Originally published as The booming Aussie photo sharing start-up targeting ‘sharenting’, online security