The internet: a place of connection and infinite information. But for parents, the internet can pose safety risks for their children they might not expect or know how to avoid.

The term “sharenting” is defined by the Cleveland Health Clinic as “the act of digital oversharing, of excessively posting information, pictures, stories or updates about your child’s life.” According to Kaspersky, ”The average child now has a digital footprint that often begins when their parents post an ultrasound photo, inviting friends and family to share in a joyous event through regular ‘sharenting.’ However, some parents—especially those that adopted social media at an early age—have fallen into the trap of posting about their children a little too frequently, a condition called ‘oversharenting.'”

Although those who oversharent are usually well-meaning individuals wanting to share the joyous moments of their child’s life with loved ones, there are significant risks to continuously posting about minors online. The National Library of Medicine recently released a health study in which researchers referred to a parent’s strong desire to showcase their child’s accomplishments online as “Sharenting Syndrome.”

One of the factors to consider is the permanence of social media. Due to the pervasiveness of our digital footprint, information shared online about our little ones might follow them into adulthood, causing potential embarrassment and hindering them from career opportunities. Things that seem innocent regarding children but can be interpreted as an invasion of privacy as an adult (baby’s first bath, photos of children wearing only swimsuits or diapers, etc.) can negatively affect that child as they develop and grow into an adult.

Many parents do not realize how much personal information they are actually sharing about their child online. According to a survey completed by Security ORG, “75% of parents shared a picture, story or video of their child online, and more than 80% of parents use their kids’ real names on social media posts. Cybercriminals can parse shared photos—and the accompanying captions—to figure out a child’s name, birthday and location. By combining this with other information, perhaps gained through phishing or on the Dark Web through data breaches, these malicious actors can steal the child’s identity for nefarious means.”

Whatever is posted on social media no longer exclusively belongs to the original poster.

For example, an innocent photo of children playing in the sprinklers of their front yard can be downloaded or saved and shared anywhere on the internet without the poster’s consent or knowledge. The parent who shared that photo would have no idea if the photo was being used on a dangerous site. The internet provides easier access for child predators to access images and information of children without alerting anyone in the process.

Luckily, there are resources available for parents to learn how to further protect their child and use discernment regarding internet usage. Parents can modify their security settings on each of their social media profiles to ensure they know who is accessing their posts. Parents are also advised to limit information shared on their posts, such as tagging their location, posting the name of their child’s school or teacher, or posting pictures of their children in swimsuits or at bathtime. Photos that might be inappropriate or considered sharenting when published on the internet can be sent more safely to loved ones in a text or family group chat.

Although parents often unintentionally oversharent due to the immense pride they feel for their child, it's important to remember in our modern age a digital footprint will follow your child well into their adulthood. Despite their current age, what parents post of their children will ultimately be others' first impression of them as they grow older and pursue a career and family. Every individual, no matter their age, should be able to determine what about their life they share with the world. Parents hold the power to make selfless choices with their use of social media to protect their children not only from threats to safety, but also to unwanted overexposure.

Buckner has created a free Safe Internet Search guide that helps parents understand some of the online dangers for children. This is a great place to start if you feel overwhelmed by social media and all the account options for your family. Technology and social mediums will continue to change often but having awareness of the potential dangers is a smart strategy. 

Download your free Safe Internet Search guide today.