Protecting Your Child’s Digital Footprint while Sharenting

Parenting
|March 26, 2024

Our lives have become more and more dependent on the internet, and social media platforms have completely changed the way we communicate and share. Now parents have a whole new way to record their kids’ life, from their first unsteady steps to their untidy masterpieces. This want to share can occasionally result in sharenting, which is the excessive online disclosure of a child’s life without that child’s permission.

Sharenting and its key aspects

Sharenting is a term that combines “sharing” and “parenting.” It refers to the practice of parents sharing a lot of personal information and pictures about their children online, particularly on social media platforms.

Here are the key aspects of sharenting:

Content Oversharing:

Sharenting typically involves sharing large amount of content about a child’s life, from posting pictures and videos of the child to creating entire blogs dedicated to their lives. This can include details about their daily activities, achievements, milestones, or even personal struggles.

Social Media Platforms:

Social media giants like Facebook and Instagram are popular platforms for sharenting, but it can also happen on personal blogs, online forums, or even messaging apps.

Potential Risks:

While parents might share with good intentions, sharenting can pose privacy and safety risks for children. It can expose them to identity theft, online predators, and create a digital footprint they might not appreciate later in life.

Child’s Age and Consent:

Younger children don’t have the capacity to understand the implications of online sharing. It is important to get a child’s consent (when possible) before sharing content about them.

Long-Term Impact:

The internet has a long memory. Embarrassing childhood moments captured online can resurface years later, potentially causing problems for the child.

Privacy vs. Sharing:

Children have a right to privacy, just like adults.

Why Do Parents Share Their Children’s Lives Online?

There are several reasons why parents engage in sharenting:

Preserving Memories:

Social media platforms provide a convenient way to document a child’s growth and milestones. Parents can create online albums to cherish these memories and share them with family and friends who may live far away.

Building a Community:

Sharing parenting experiences and seeking advice from other parents can be a source of comfort and support. Social media groups dedicated to parenthood create a sense of community and belonging.

Boosting Self-Esteem:

Positive comments and likes on a child’s photo can be validating for parents.

The Dark Side of Sharenting

Despite the convenience and the innocent intentions behind it, sharenting comes with a set of risks:

Privacy Concerns:

Children have the right to privacy, even from a young age. By constantly sharing personal details about their lives online, can put them at risk of cyberbullying, online predators or identity theft. Also, the parents are essentially taking away a child’s right to control their own digital footprint.

Digital Reputation:

Everything posted online leaves a permanent trace. Embarrassing photos or videos from their childhood could resurface later, potentially impacting their social or academic life, education, future employment, or even relationships.

Unrealistic Expectations, Social Comparison and Peer Pressure:

The curated perfect online profiles often portrayed on social media can create unrealistic expectations and put undue pressure on parents and children.

Safety Risks:

Sharing a child’s location, full name, school details or daily routine can make them vulnerable to online predators and stalkers.

Identity Theft:

Information shared online about a child’s life can be used for identity theft purposes, especially if security measures are not robust.

Cyberbullying:

Shared content can leave children vulnerable to cyberbullying by peers or strangers.

Loss of Control:

Once you share something online, you lose control over who sees it and how it is used. It can be downloaded, redistributed, or even used for commercial purposes without the parents’ knowledge.

Marketing and Exploitation:

Children’s data and images shared online can be collected by companies for targeted advertising or even exploited for commercial purposes.

Striking a Balance: Responsible Sharenting

Here are some tips on how parents can navigate the digital world and share responsibly:

Get Consent (Age-appropriately):

As children grow older, involve them in decisions about what gets shared online. Explain potential risks and get their verbal or nonverbal consent.

Focus on the Moment, Not the Likes:

Instead of capturing everything for social media, be present in the moment with the child. Share experiences for your own enjoyment, not just for online validation. Also, focus on capturing the emotions and experiences rather than just their physical appearance.

Think Before You Post:

Consider the potential consequences of a post before hitting that share button. Ask yourself if the photo or video is something your child would be comfortable with when they grow older.

Minimize Identifying Information:

Blur out faces in crowded places, avoid geotagging locations, and don’t share full names or birthdates.

Use Privacy Settings:

Utilize platform-specific privacy settings to control who can see your child’s photos and videos.

Respect Their Boundaries:

Avoid sharing embarrassing or intimate details about your child’s life, even if you think it is funny or harmless. If your child asks you to remove something you have shared, take it down immediately.

Alternatives:

Consider creating a private online album or sharing photos directly with close friends and family.

Respecting Children’s Privacy

As children grow older, their sense of privacy becomes more important. Parents should:

Stop Sharenting as Children Age:

Once children are old enough to form their own online identities, parents should stop sharing their photos and videos without their consent.

Remove Old Posts:

With a child’s permission, consider removing older posts that they may no longer be comfortable with.

Open Communication:

Maintain open communication with your child about their online presence and encourage them to be responsible digital citizens.

Beyond Sharenting: Building a Healthy Digital Life for Your Family

Sharenting is just one aspect of a larger conversation about healthy digital habits for families. Here are some additional tips:

Lead by Example:

Be mindful of your own social media use and model responsible online behavior.

Open Communication:

Talk to your children about online safety and teach them how to be responsible digital citizens.

Set Ground Rules:

Establish family guidelines around screen time, device usage, and online behavior.

Encourage Alternatives:

Create a physical scrapbook or photo album for offline memories you can share with your child as they grow up.

Conclusion

Sharenting is a complex topic with no easy answers. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to share a child’s life online lies with the parents. By approaching sharenting mindfully and understanding the risks of the potential consequences, and taking steps to mitigate them, parents can ensure that their children’s online experiences are positive and safe. By sharenting with caution, you can ensure that their online presence reflects a happy childhood and empowers them to navigate the digital world confidently as they grow up.

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