The Curious Case of Accidental Sharenting

Unless one lives under a rock, there’s no way to miss a ‘cute kid’ reel—most likely to have been scripted and posted for more views and ‘awws’ by new-age parents. Even better are the original posts by a slightly older group, featuring teens dancing to popular Spotify tracks. While both scenarios pose their own unique perils, the first instance sheds light on the act of ‘sharenting ’— a growing phenomenon on the world wide web that has come under the scanner for the myriad potential hazards it may pose.

For the uninitiated, the term ‘sharenting’ refers to a concept where modern/millennial parents end up sharing too much about their kids and their daily lives via pictures and posts on social media, unassumingly opening a portal for paedophiles, cyberbullying, and miscreants of all kinds to get deeper access into a child's life and their whereabouts.

According to a recent survey by security.org, “75 percent of parents have shared a picture, story, or video of their children on social media, and more than 80 percent of parents have used real names.”

A study by Barclays Bank predicts that by 2030, annual occurrences of identity fraud associated with sharenting could lead to damages up to $900 million.

So, in a world where sharing on the gram has become as commonplace as a last-minute online grocery order, how does one tread cautiously? Are there any rules to follow? We get insights from young parents.

‘Use privacy settings, be updated about security settings’

Anupama Dalmia, an author, blogger, and entrepreneur, says, “As a parenting blogger and content creator, I cannot completely avoid updates related to my child and her journey, but balancing is key,” emphasising the need for parents today to understand the workings of social media. “Having worked as a volunteer for trafficking cases, I have been privy to child safety concerns all the more from the beginning. This experience has made me keenly aware of the potential dangers lurking online. I am mindful of what I post about my 9-year-old. To ensure privacy and safety, I make it a point to keep myself updated on changes in settings and new tools on popular social media platforms. Currently, I use privacy settings to control who can view posts that include her, avoid sharing identifiable information like location or school, and regularly review and update my security settings.”

Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, a celebrity jewellery designer, has often voiced her stance on her young daughter’s social media presence. While she’s certain that she’d never be one to indulge in ‘sharing’, Sahni believes it’s imperative to raise awareness about potential hazards to youngsters who’re keen on creating an active online profile.

“In these days when every other teenager is on social media, as a parent, I really want Samara to be off,” says Riddhima, explaining how she’s been trying to educate her teenage daughter Samara about the perils of being out there. “In the beginning, Samara used to feel a little affected as she read every comment and would talk to me about it. I was concerned about the potential impact on her mental health, so I advised her to either make her account private or remove herself from social media. Most importantly, I advised her to stop reading all the comments, as there will always be a section of people who may not like you or say very nice things about you or to you. It’s crucial for youngsters to not feed the trolls. Just ignore them,” she signs off.