What Do Parents Share On Social Media About Their Kids?

Sharenting, a term combining “sharing” and “parenting”, refers to the practice of parents sharing photos, videos, and other identifying information about their children on personal social media accounts. A recent European study reported that parents share an average of about 300 photos and sensitive data concerning their children each year, with Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter being the top three destinations for these photos. The risks and consequences of sharenting are complex and involve legal issues related to the protection of the child’s image, confidentiality of personal data, and digital security.

Critics argue that parents are being narcissistic by blogging about their kids and posting their photos on Facebook and Instagram. A new investigation looks at the disturbing world of so-called “kidfluencers” and the moms who run their accounts. One in three preteens say being an influencer is a bad practice.

A British study found that parents post about 1,500 images of their kids on social media before those kids turn 5 years old. Experts say it is important for parents to keep the best interests of their kids in mind when sharing photos and videos of their children on social media. While sharenting isn’t an inherently bad practice, it can leave children vulnerable. Parents can cultivate trust and protect their kids’ privacy by resisting sharenting on social media with boundaries and consent.

In conclusion, restrictions on parents posting pictures of their children on social media are necessary to protect a child’s privacy and safeguard their rights. Parents and guardians are duty-bound to consider the rights of the child before posting content about their child online. Asking preteens or teens for permission before posting about them shows respect and consideration for their perspective.

What is the dark side of social media for children?

Excessive time spent on social media can lead to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and low self-esteem, particularly for teen girls. Reports show that 46 of teens aged 13-17 reported feeling worse about their bodies due to social media. High-tech phones and apps make it easier to snap “perfect pictures”, which may not accurately represent an individual’s appearance. This can lead to comparing oneself to an artificial image, causing distress if one feels they don’t measure up.

Should parents check their child’s social media?

The American Psychological Association (APA) recommends parents actively monitor their children’s social media use for kids under 15. Monitoring can help keep them safe from risks such as predators, cyberbullying, scams, anxiety, and exposure to dangerous trends. By identifying red flags, parents can address the issue head-on, ensuring their child’s safety and well-being. This proactive approach is crucial for maintaining a healthy online presence.

What is oversharing parents?

Social media platforms like Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and TikTok are popular among parents, but they can also expose their children to harmful information. Oversharing, the act of spreading personal information in a way that may be harmful towards oneself and others, is a growing concern. With the advancements of the internet, it is easy to find out someone’s personal history using just a few pieces of information. Sharing something as simple as age, location, or names could have dangerous outcomes.

A study from the Child Crime Prevention and Safety Center states that there are an estimated 500, 000 online predators active each day. Situations like these are thought to be one in a million. It is important to make sure you are using social media safely and effectively to ensure your child is not being harmed. When you publicly share photos of your child, you expose them to the predators of social media. If you don’t filter who can see what you post, it can lead to unwelcome guests harassing your child, negatively affecting their mental health.

A study by Barclays states that “another decade of parents oversharing personal information online” will produce 7. 4 million incidents per year of identity fraud by 2030. When you overshare your child online, it makes them potential fraud targets, which no one would want for their child.

Oversharing can also affect you, the parent, just as much as your child. Social media has always been known to impact various parts of the brain resulting in change of self-esteem and improving a sense of belonging. Your mental health can be deeply impacted with your usage of the amount of time you take to overshare online.

According to Asha Patton Smith, a Kaiser Permanente Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the relationship between social media and mental health is complicated. One of the basic issues is that if you are on social media, you are not outside, are not sleeping, and are not exercising. These are things that help mental health.

Social media can impact your child’s self esteem and self consciousness to extreme levels. Concerns have been raised that social media may lead to body image dissatisfaction, increase the risk of addiction and cyberbullying involvement, contribute to phubbing behaviors, and negatively affect mood. Privacy can be breached and can lead to a tear in a parent-child relationship.

In a survey, 71 of students experienced their parents posting pictures where they are featured without their consent. Many described their dislike toward online posting without consent through verbiage of embarrassment, frustration, and anger. Junior Munira Khalif is in her second year of the A-Blast as an Editorial editor, pursuing the IB diploma and participating in various clubs.

Should parents post pictures of their kids on Facebook?

Geographic markers can be used to track a child’s location, but it’s important to avoid sharing personal identifying information, such as names, dates, and places of birth, online. Identity thieves can use this information to steal a child’s identity. Even children can fall victim to identity theft, as they may receive bills or credit cards in their name. A recent study found that over 1. 25 million children fell victim to identity theft and fraud in a year. If a child becomes a victim, alert the three major credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—who will send a credit report and freeze their child’s credit to protect them against future fraud.

Should you post about a child on social media?

The National Safety Council (NSPC) advises parents to carefully consider whether to post photos of their children on social media. They suggest that young children should be asked if they would be happy for the photos to be shared or if it would embarrass them. The digital footprint created by the photos is never 100% in control, and it is still too early to see the impact on the future. Dr. Kirsty Goodwin categorizes the risks of posting photos of children on social media into privacy risks, cyber-safety risks, and psychological risks.

Privacy risks involve identity theft, cyber-safety risks involve the risk of images being harvested by predators, and psychological risks involve breaching privacy or sharing embarrassing information that may be misappropriated by others. It is still too early to see the impact of these risks on the future of children and teens.

Why shouldn’t you post photos of your kids online?

Sharing photos and videos of children on social media can put their data and privacy at risk, making them vulnerable to identity theft, harassment, and predators. Harvard Law School faculty member Leah Plunkett warns that sharing a “holiday card-or-less” amount of data online can protect children’s privacy. Sharing information digitally, transmitted by trusted adults like parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, coaches, and coaches, can make children vulnerable to identity theft and harassment.

As children grow older, it may hinder their ability to tell their own stories. Plunkett’s book Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk About Our Kids Online highlights the dangers of constantly sharing about children online.

How do parents feel about their children using social media?

Despite the continued development of Instagram for Kids, 71 parents expressed concerns about social media usage, with 78 percent believing restrictions should be set on children’s social media use. 69 parents worried that social media could be detrimental to their child’s self-esteem. These concerns are not unfounded, as researchers continue to study the effects of social media on children and teenagers’ mental health.

Almost half of parents admitted to allowing their children to create a social media account before the age of 13, with YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok being the top platforms for this. 40 of parents allowed their children under 13 to create social accounts to make videos, while 31 did so for the sole purpose of their child wanting to be a gamer or content creator in the future.

While parents may be giving their children early access to social media platforms, 95% of parents have discussed internet and social media safety with their children. With the popularity of social media influencers and viral videos, it’s comforting to know that parents are discussing safety concerns and side effects such as social media addictiveness and body image issues. However, there’s only so much they can prepare children for in the online realm, and it’s up to them to follow parental guidance.

What do parents have to say about social media?

Parents express concern about their teenagers’ social and psychological well-being, citing social media as a significant source of potential harm. These concerns pertain to the potential for social media to foster unhealthy behaviors, including an unhealthy desire for attention and approval, and the possibility of addiction.

What is sharenting syndrome?

Sharenting is the practice of parents oversharing sensitive information about their children online, which can lead to rifts in the parent-child relationship. A 2022 review published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that unregulated social media use in children and adolescents can lead to various risks, including depression, diet-related issues, psychological problems, sleep disturbances, addiction, reduced physical activity, and online grooming/predators.

These negative consequences can be particularly concerning if the decision to be on social media was not theirs. It is unclear how this practice affects children’s privacy and identity, as it is not their responsibility to use social media responsibly.

Why do parents post their children on social media?

Sharenting is a common practice among parents, where they share photos of their children online, providing a sense of camaraderie and involving family members and friends in their children’s lives. However, oversharenting can be problematic when the images contain personal details or embarrassing details for the children. With social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram becoming more pervasive, over 75 percent of parents have shared their children’s images online, with 33 never asking for permission.

Dangeries of sharenting include potential privacy concerns, the risk of unauthorized access, and the potential for inappropriate content. Parents should be aware of these risks and consider several factors before sharing their children’s images on social media. These factors include the child’s age, interests, and potential risks associated with sharing personal information.

Should parents keep kids off social media?

Social media expert Christine Elgersma suggests that 13 is not the best age for children to access social media. Current proposed laws include blanket bans on under-13 users, but there is no easy way to verify a person’s age when signing up for apps and online services. Companies have added some safeguards over the years, but these are piecemeal changes rather than fundamental rethinks of the services. Elgersma suggests that developers should start building apps with kids in mind.

Some tech executives, celebrities, and parents have even banned their kids from social media altogether, but experts argue that this could lead to isolating kids, leaving them out of social media activities and discussions.