Discover the meaning of sharenting and why it is risky for minors to be present on the web.
Sharenting is an Anglicism that comprises two terms: share and parenting.
Therefore, we can say that this concept refers to the continuous publication of photographs or videos on social networks by parents who share any important event of their child.
Today on the web, there are many images of babies or children without the permission of their parents or guardians, which is why Google has activated a procedure to remove images of minors.
An article published by the University of Catalonia (UOC) states that 81% of children under six months appear on the Internet.
Their online presence, according to this source, continues to increase.
What are the risks of Sharenting? Loss of control over social media posting or sharenting causes several short, medium, and long-term risks.
Let’s start with the short-term ones:
- Kidnapping: a criminal can exploit the traces left by the parent on social networks, as a place and time of some activity;
- Digital identity theft: the cybercriminal steals published information and creates an illegal identity;
- Grooming: criminals create fake profiles with photos of children or adolescents stolen on the net and, posing as minors, open the doors for sexting;
- Presence on the dark web: seizure of photos to carry out illegal services.
The medium-term consequences are:
- Meme: photos shared by the same parents can turn into an embarrassing moment that can cause psychological damage in the future;
- Cyberbullying: Children can be harassed on social networks.
And finally, in the long run:
- Identity theft: risk that someone may steal the child’s identity;
- Digital reputation: publishing something on the networks is a matter of seconds; interrupting its diffusion can take years.
Concerning the Right to be forgotten, the EU Regulation 2016/679 expresses itself about the protection of data for a minor; the text reads:
“Children merit specific protection with regard to their personal data, as they may be less aware of the risks, consequences and safeguards concerned and their rights in relation to the processing of personal data.”
To reduce the risk of sharenting, we share some recommendations:
- Do not disclose the location of the child unless a responsible adult accompanies him;
- Do not share usual activities and places, such as schools, accommodation, etc.;
- The personal information of the child shared on the networks allows criminals to reach him easily;
- The posts you share may be fun for you, but you should be wondering if that content can impact the development of the child’s identity.
If you are the victim of a cybercrime, contact a competent authority, such as the Police.
If you have made sharenting or would like information or legal advice regarding digital privacy, please contact Righttobeforgottengdpr.com.
Posting or sharing a photo of a child or infant does not automatically imply sharenting.
However, through the constant connection of parents to social networks, they can document their children’s lives in a continuous and even abusive way.
Due to the amount of traffic on these networks and the publications of parents or guardians, the child’s privacy can be violated, as the images are shared without thinking about the risks.
Faced with a society so present in the digital world, parents of this era make continuous use of social networks, even going so far as to sharenting.
As the University Of Michigan Health study reveals:
“Most parents of young children (84% of mothers, 70% of fathers) report using social media like Facebook, online forums, or blogs.
Over half of mothers (56%), compared with only 34% of fathers, discuss child health and parenting topics on social media.”
The study also shares the parents’ perception of the type of content posted on the Internet.
Embarrassing information about a child reaches 56%; 51% provide personal information that could identify a child’s location, and 27% share inappropriate photos.
To avoid this, Meta is committed to creating safe experiences for minors.
This social network requires its users to be at least 13 years old, which, in some countries, depending on the jurisdiction, may be higher.
Likewise, Facebook shares on its website that:
“Creating an account with false info is a breach of our terms. This includes accounts registered on behalf of someone under 13.”
Even Instagram, like Facebook, asks you to be 13 to create an account.
It limits DMs (private messages) between minors and adults as a further measure.
Faced with this problem, Instagram reports that:
“To protect teens from unwanted contact from adults, we’re introducing a new feature that prevents adults from sending messages to people under 18 who don’t follow them.
For example, when an adult tries to message a teen who doesn’t follow them, they receive a notification that DM’ing them isn’t an option.
As for WhatsApp, the minimum age is 16 if you live in a country of the European Union, 13 for other countries.
Concerning the violation of its conditions, the network guarantees that:
“Creating an account with false information is a violation of our Terms.
Registering an account on behalf of someone who is underage is also a violation of our Terms.”
We recommend that you change some options on your social networks, for example:
- Settings and privacy: so your profile will allow you to show your content only to people close to your social circle;
- Publications deleting: not have any content that could put a minor at risk, so the removal of images is of vital importance;
- Location: search each post for the location or information about the place easily identified and removed.
Contact professionals such as the Right to be Forgotten team for any questions about digital privacy or the right to be forgotten.
With over 20 years of experience, the company is constantly update on data protection legislation.
You can indicate the link, image, or video you want to remove. And the team will contact you to protect the child’s online reputation, applying the current legislation.
Right to be Forgotten has a legal department supported by a strategic team of experts in online reputation.
Conclusions
Due to the number of publications parents make of their children. A new term called sharenting means constantly uploading images of children or babies to the web.
Therefore, from this article, it can be conclude that:
- 81% of children under the age of 6 months have an Internet presence;
- The loss of control over publications on social networks generates a series of short, medium, and long-term consequences;
- Setting up privacy on social networks is of vital importance;
- Choose professionals in this area who provide legal advice.
From Righttobeforgottengdpr.com we help you to exercise your Right to be forgotten.