Sharenting: How to Keep Your Family’s Digital Footprint Safe

What Is Sharenting?

Understanding Sharenting and Its Origin

Psychological Aspects of Sharenting

What is Digital Footprint?

Steps to Keep Your Family’s Digital Footprint Safe

1. Be Mindful of What You Share: Limit posts about sensitive or potentially embarrassing content. Think long-term about how each post might affect your child’s reputation, autonomy, and sense of privacy as they grow older.

2. Set Privacy Controls: Familiarize yourself with privacy settings on social media platforms and adjust them to ensure that only close family and friends have access to your posts. Consider creating private groups for sharing family moments instead of making them public.

3. Ask for Consent: As children grow, involve them in decisions about what you share online. Allowing them to have a say in what is shared helps foster a sense of control over their digital presence and teaches them the importance of respecting others’ privacy.

4. Avoid Sharing Location Data: Refrain from tagging specific locations in your photos or updates, especially real-time locations, to safeguard your family’s privacy. Geotagging can also inadvertently reveal your home address or frequent places of visit.

5. Use Anonymity or Partial Visibility: Consider using nicknames or only sharing partial photos (like close-ups or blurred faces) to maintain some level of privacy while still sharing family moments. This way, your child’s identity is protected from those outside your trusted circle.

6. Monitor Comments and Interactions: Keep an eye on comments and interactions from others on your posts. Make sure that any personal information shared in comments is in line with your family’s privacy preferences. You may also want to limit who can comment on your posts.

7. Educate Family and Friends: Encourage family members and friends to be mindful of what they post about your children. Sometimes, others may inadvertently share personal information or images of your child, so it’s important to set boundaries and educate them on the importance of respecting privacy.

8. Limit Sharing During Milestones: While milestones such as birthdays or first steps are exciting, think twice before sharing them online. These special moments can be easily exploited by strangers if they’re posted publicly. Consider sharing them with a select audience instead.

9. Be Cautious with Videos: Videos often capture more information than static images, which can be more revealing. Be careful when posting videos of your child that show personal habits, your home, or sensitive situations.

10. Revisit Your Past Posts: Regularly review old posts and update privacy settings or remove content that no longer aligns with your family’s values or privacy preferences. What felt okay to share years ago may not be suitable today as your child grows.

The Child’s Right to Privacy

Parental Strategies and Guidelines

Creating a Safe Online Environment

The Role of Social Media Platforms

Conclusion