Even if you’ve never heard the term “sharenting,” you’ve no doubt seen the practice in action.
In essence, the term — a mix of “sharing” and “parenting” — is when parents post excessively about their kids’ lives online. From baby milestones to funny moments, it’s become a normal part of modern parenting. But while it’s commonplace and might seem harmless on the surface, there are risks that many don’t consider. What starts as an innocent post can have long-term consequences for a child’s privacy, safety, and future digital footprint. Here’s why it’s not a great idea to document every moment in your child’s life and post it for public consumption.
1. It creates a digital footprint before a child can consent.
Every time a parent shares a photo or story, they’re building a digital footprint for their child that the child has no say in. The trouble is, that digital record sticks around. Employers, universities, and even potential friends can look someone up online. So, the stuff you post now could shape how they’re seen long before they have a chance to decide how they want to present themselves.
2. Strangers can access personal information.
Parents often don’t realise just how much they’re revealing with a simple post. Even something as subtle as a school uniform or a location tag can give people access to key details about a child’s life. Once a post is online, it’s tough to control who sees it or what they do with it. In the worst-case scenario, it could put your child at risk, with strangers reaching out or tracking them.
3. Photos can be stolen and misused.
It’s a creepy thought, but images of kids can easily be taken from social media and misused. Some end up on suspicious websites, and others are stolen to create fake profiles. Even with privacy settings turned on, screenshots and downloads can mean that once a photo is shared, it could end up in places you didn’t intend.
4. It can be embarrassing for your child later in life.
What seems like a harmless photo or story now could be mortifying for a child as they get older. Think about the tantrums, toilet training mishaps, or those awkward childhood phases we all went through — things that might get a laugh now but won’t feel funny at all when they’re teenagers. Many kids with lives shared online admit they feel embarrassed about it later, wishing their parents had thought about their future before posting.
5. It increases the risk of identity theft.
Details like a child’s full name, birthdate, or school are the kind of information identity thieves are after. Kids are often targeted for fraud because they don’t have credit histories yet, so the theft can go unnoticed for years. A simple birthday post might give someone just what they need to start making fake accounts in your child’s name.
6. Social media companies collect and store this data.
Everything shared on social media gets stored and analysed by the companies running these platforms. Even if a post is deleted, there’s no real way of knowing if the data is completely gone. These companies use that personal data for things like targeted advertising, so your child’s data could be stored and used in ways that we don’t fully understand yet.
7. It can create unrealistic expectations for kids.
When kids grow up with their lives constantly being posted about, they can start to feel like their life is a performance for an audience. This can lead to pressure to always look happy, well-behaved, or entertaining. Over time, this can affect their self-worth, making them feel like they need to meet expectations rather than just being themselves.
8. It can impact a child’s sense of privacy.
Growing up with everything shared online can make it harder to understand the difference between what’s private and what’s public. A child who hasn’t had control over their own story might struggle to set boundaries as they get older. Privacy is something kids need to learn and practise, but if they’re used to everything being online, it might be tough for them to figure out where to draw the line later on.
9. Cyberbullies and trolls can use shared content.
Not everyone online is kind. Some people love to mock or harass others, and photos or videos that seem harmless to you can quickly become material for bullies, both online and in real life. As kids get older, they might find that their childhood photos become a source of teasing — something they’ll wish had never been posted in the first place.
10. It can harm the parent-child relationship.
Some kids grow up resenting their parents for sharing things about them without permission. As they get older and become more aware of their online presence, they might feel betrayed that their private moments were shared for the world to see. This could cause tension, with kids setting up strict boundaries or even distancing themselves from parents who didn’t respect their privacy.
11. Parents may not realise when they’ve crossed a line.
What starts as sharing a couple of cute updates can easily spiral into oversharing. Some parents get so used to posting about their kids that they don’t even realise when they’ve crossed the line and shared something too personal or inappropriate. Without meaning to, a parent might share something that opens the child up to ridicule or puts them at risk.
12. The internet never forgets.
Even if you delete a post, there’s no guarantee that it’s really gone. Screenshots, archived pages, and backups mean that something you thought was erased could still be floating around out there. A post that felt insignificant at the time could come back years later in ways you never expected.
13. There are safer ways to share family updates.
For parents who want to share milestones with friends and family, there are better options than posting everything online. Private photo-sharing apps, email updates, or even printing photos and sending them by post lets you share moments with loved ones without putting them on the internet. Keeping it private means your kids get to have more control over their own online presence when they’re old enough to make that call.
