The Risk of Sharenting

Definition (Parental Overexposure)

The term sharenting comes from the union of sharing and parenting.

It is defined as the practice of parents sharing publicly on the internet (social networks, blogs) information, photos or videos of their minor children on a constant and often very detailed basis.

It is the creation of the child's "digital footprint", not by the child, but by the parents themselves.

While the parents' intent is often benign (sharing the joy, connecting with other parents, keeping a digital album), sharenting poses serious risks to the child's privacy and safety, as it is done without the current or future consent of the subject of the images.

The Security and Privacy Risks

Sharenting creates an immediate security risk.

When parents post photos of the child in school uniform, in the park where he/she always plays or with geolocation, they are providing very valuable information to potential stalkers or groomers.

This information makes it easier to locate the child in the real world or for a groomer to gain their trust ("I go to the same school as you, I know your teacher...").

In addition, photos (especially bath time or swimsuit photos) can be collected and reused in pedophile networks.

In the long term, the risk is the loss of privacy. Such data (photos, anecdotes) are permanent.

They can be used in the future for identity theft (creating fake profiles) or for future harassment (bullying).

Classmates can find embarrassing photos from the child's childhood and use them to humiliate the child.

The Psychological Impact and the Right to Image

Sharenting violates the child's fundamental right to self-image and privacy. Parents are the guarantors of these rights, not their owners.

The child grows up and develops an identity of his own, and may feel deeply humiliated, betrayed or angry when he discovers the public digital file that his parents created without his permission.

He has the right to decide which parts of his childhood are private.

Psychologically, a child who grows up knowing that his every act (funny, awkward or intimate) may be recorded and publish