Sharenting and the risk to Children's Digital Privacy and wellbeing

Many parents share photos and personal details about their children online. This is known as sharenting. While it often stems from love and pride, our advice is to approach it with caution. Sharing personal details like names, birthdays, school names, or locations can unintentionally expose children to risks such as identity theft or fraud.

But it’s not just about safety. When children grow up and see what was shared about them, they might feel embarrassed, exposed or like they didn’t have control over their own story. This can affect how they feel about themselves and how they trust others. We advise parents to think carefully before posting about their children online. Being mindful of what you share helps protect your child’s privacy and supports their mental wellbeing.

Early Identity Threats: According to UK Finance’s Annual Fraud Report 2024, cases of identity fraud involving minors have been steadily rising, with some children’s details being misused before they even reach adulthood. The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) has also warned that children’s data is often collected and processed without adequate safeguards, especially when shared by parents rather than the children themselves.

Privacy Concerns:

· Personal details such as names, birth dates and school locations can be exploited by fraudsters

· Children have no control over how their information is shared or stored

· Content can be screenshotted, reshared or accessed without permission

· Social media platforms collect metadata even from private posts

· A child’s digital footprint is created without their knowledge or consent

· Once shared, information is difficult to remove completely

Once a hacker has profiled a child using publicly shared information, they can exploit it in harmful ways. By combining details like full name, birth date, school and location, they may impersonate the child to access accounts or commit identity fraud. In more serious cases, knowing a child’s whereabouts can be used for blackmail or intimidation.

Ethical Considerations and Consent:

· Children often have no say in what is shared about them

· Some teenagers are now pushing back against posts shared during childhood

· Even older children may not grasp the permanence of online content

· Parents may post with good intentions but overlook long-term impact

· The line between sharing and oversharing can be blurred.

· Public posts can damage a child’s confidence if they find the content embarrassing, especially if it becomes a source of teasing at school.

Conclusion: Think Before You Share

To help protect your child's privacy and wellbeing, here are our top tips:

· Turn off location settings when posting photos or updates.

· Check privacy settings on both your child's accounts and your own.

· Keep personal information to a minimum. Avoid sharing full names, birthdates, school names, or addresses.

· If your child is old enough, seek their permission before posting content about them.

· Consider how a post today might affect your child in the future

We advise parents to be mindful of sharenting, as it can expose children to risks that are often overlooked. Personal details such as names, birthdays, and school information can be misused for identity fraud or to create fake profiles. Once shared online, it becomes difficult to control where that data goes or how it is used.

Children do not have a say in what is posted about them, yet the impact can last for years. That is why we urge parents to treat online sharing with the same level of care they would apply to any decision that affects their child's safety.