Posting about your children on the Internet is the privilege and prerogative of every parent. As a proud new mother, it is completely understandable to want to share your bundle of joy with the world. In fact, it is practically inevitable in this digital age. Even parents with older children may often post about their toddlers’ goings-on on various social media platforms. Anything from first days to playtimes to memorable moments that are simply too picture-worthy to not warrant a status update. However, when does posting about your children online become more trouble than it’s worth?
It has become a normalcy in today’s fast-paced, tech-savvy world to create an online presence for your child. However, doing so too soon, and without their consent, may damage their reputation and well-being down the line.
We previously talked about online schooling and the best ways to help your child cope with the changing times. We’ve also covered how to monitor your child’s internet consumption and use of electronic devices. Now we turn the spotlight squarely back on the parents. In this article we discuss how your online habits may be affecting your children in various detrimental ways. Should you be posting about your children online, or is it better to keep those special, intimate moments within the family?
‘Sharenting’: Posting About Your Children Online
A portmanteau of ‘share’ and ‘parenting’, sharenting refers to the phenomena whereby parents share information about their children online. ‘Sharenting’, of course, does not merely include photos and videos. Sensitive information like names, locations, and dates of birth also count.
You may have seen videos of children on social media. In some cases, there are even entire accounts with millions of followers dedicated to curating funny videos of young children. Often times reposted without either the parent or child’s express permission. Moreover, family bloggers on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube are becoming more prevalent. How will these children feel later about their parents broadcasting their entire childhood to strangers on the Internet?
One survey revealed that children as young as 2 years old already have an online presence as a result of sharenting. Although often times it is not even the parents’ fault. Relatives may often carelessly leak photos shared privately in family messaging groups to their social media accounts. This is usually done without the parents’ knowledge or permission.
Legal Issues and Repercussions
The questions being raised at the present moment revolves around the conflict between a parent’s social media autonomy and a child’s right to online privacy. Very few countries enforce laws that specifically address this issue, usually in favour of the child. However, even these regulations are not ironclad.
For example, some countries, namely the European Union, the Philippines and Argentina, practice what is known as ‘the Right to Be Forgotten‘. This right basically allows an adult to request the government to remove or hide their digital footprint from the internet. Any online information that they deem to be harmful to their reputation.
However, several caveats do make enforcing this law difficult. While governing bodies can delete most of the information still in circulation, some may still slip through the cracks. Moreover, offline copies may still exist and in the possession of various unknown individuals. Victims of chronic ‘sharenting’ may invoke this law when they are older, but very few choose to do so due to the hassle of the process.
In France, children have the legal right to sue their parents for posting their pictures on social media platforms. If found guilty, the parents could face up to a year of jail time and a fine up to €45,000. However, in most parts of the world, such a law does not even exist.
What You Should Know Before Posting About Your Children Online
Permanence
It is no exaggeration when they say that anything posted online will remain there forever. Once published on the World Wide Web, one’s digital footprint cannot be so easily erased. This may spell legal disaster for anyone unlucky enough to have their baby photos used unscrupulously by unsavoury characters. Someone can post a baby picture of you on a paid stock photo site and make thousands in cash. The worst part is that you will not even get to see any of the money. In most cases, it is almost impossible to get those pictures taken down, even through legal means.
Humiliation
Embarrassing baby photos and temper tantrums caught on tape can follow a person well into adulthood. They can jeopardise future relationships, education opportunities, employment, and even one’s psychological well-being. School bullies can use the incriminating evidence of their victim’s childhood antics to further tarnish your children’s reputation.
Identity Theft
One area of great risk that not many parents think about when ‘sharenting’ is online fraud. Parents may inadvertently reveal sensitive information about their children when posting about them online. Scammers can use these details to create fake profiles of your children. They will then use these accounts to commit various online crimes. These include credit card fraud, online shopping scams and even fraudulent loans etc.
What Not To Do When Posting About Your Children Online
We all know the golden rule. Do not do to others what you do not want done unto yourself. The same rule applies in the morally ambiguous practice of ‘sharenting’. You should ask the following question before even thinking about posting pictures and videos and other information about your children online.
Will These Photos and Videos Ruin My Child’s Reputation?
You should not post any embarrassing photos of your children, even funny ones. Especially if they are too young to give their consent. Wait until they have reached an age where they understand the repercussions of having an online presence. Even then, you must still ask them first before posting.
There have been many cases where teenagers paid the price for their parents online oversharing. These may not seem like a big deal to a parent, who may not have to face their peers on a daily basis. However, it can destroy your child’s self-esteem, especially if they become a victim of cyberbullying.
Can Someone Use This Information To Harm My Child?
You may not think that something as innocent as a birthday proclamation can be damaging to your child. However, dates and places of birth, names, and ages are like catnip to scammers. This is because they are the necessary components in setting up online accounts of all kind. Therefore, it is important to remember this before sharing your children’s information online.
Things like your maiden name and the name of your child’s school should remain confidential. The same applies to their sports teams, their hobbies, and pastimes, and even the names of their pets. You often see this kind of information used in security questions, and scammers may take advantage of that.
Think Twice Before Posting About Your Kids Online
You may still be grappling with the decision of whether to post about your child online or not. In these cases, perhaps the best course of action is inaction. A healthy dose of paranoia is necessary in this regard, especially if it means protecting your child from predators. Posting about your children online suddenly doesn’t seem so important any more. Not when it causes them more harm than good.
It is important to understand your role as a parent not only as a caregiver, but also as a guardian. That responsibility encompasses not only your child’s physical and mental health, but their online security and safety as well.
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