Archive Sharenting’s Meaning and Its Perils for You and Your Child
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The Pros and Cons of Sharenting: A Guide for Modern Parents

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Table of contents:

    In recent years, a new trend has emerged among parents, known as sharenting. Sharenting, a portmanteau of “sharing” and “parenting,” refers to parents sharing images, videos, and details about their children on social media platforms. However, this growing trend has sparked debates about its potential implications for children’s privacy and safety. This article explores the sharenting meaning, its pros and cons, and offers guidance for modern parents navigating this digital phenomenon.

     

    What is Sharenting?

    Sharenting refers to the widespread practice among parents of posting content about their children on various social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. This content can include photos, videos, personal stories, and other updates about their child’s life. While this may seem like an innocent way to share precious moments with friends and family, it’s essential to understand the potential risks associated with this digital behavior.

     

    The Positive Aspect of Sharenting

    Before we discuss the perils of sharing images of your babies and children on social media, let’s talk about some of the positive aspects of sharing family pictures online. After all, sharenting is not entirely negative. It all depends on finding a balance and having online privacy and safety protocols in mind.

     

    Mother sharenting a picture of her child

     

    Community Building

    One of the primary benefits of sharenting is the sense of community it fosters among parents. This practice allows parents to connect with each other, share experiences and advice, and feel less isolated in their parenting journey. It can serve as a support system for new parents, who often find comfort and camaraderie in the shared experiences of others.

     

    Cherished Memories

    Another advantage of sharenting is its digital footprint on a child’s life. Parents can reflect on these online memories, reliving their child’s early childhood joyous moments. These digital mementos can also be an invaluable resource for children when they grow older, giving them a glimpse into their past.

     

    Family Updates

    Sharenting also enables parents to keep their family and friends updated about their child’s growth and development. This can be particularly beneficial for relatives who live far away and can’t be physically present for the child’s milestones.

     

    The Negative Aspect of Sharenting

    While sharenting has advantages, it also has numerous potential drawbacks, primarily concerning privacy and safety concerns.

     

    Privacy Concerns

    By sharing your child’s photos and other personal information online, you may unintentionally infringe on your child’s privacy. This is particularly concerning as children grow older and may not appreciate their lives being documented and shared publicly without their consent.

     

    Security Risks

    Sharenting can also expose children to various security risks. Personal information shared on social media can be used by malicious actors for identity theft, online grooming, or cyberbullying. You must know these risks and take precautions to protect your child’s online safety.

     

    Unwanted Attention

    Sharenting can also lead to unwanted attention or scrutiny. This can potentially result in feelings of embarrassment or discomfort for the child, particularly if the content is shared widely or goes viral.

     

    Father sharenting an embarrassing picture of his child

     

    How to Share Responsibly

    Given the potential issues associated with sharenting, you must share responsibly to protect your child’s privacy and safety.

     

    Set Privacy Settings

    You should familiarize yourself with the privacy settings on each social media platform and set them to ensure that only trusted friends and family can view your posts. This can significantly reduce the risk of your child’s information falling into the wrong hands.

     

    Obtain Consent

    As your child grows older, you should discuss with them what they feel comfortable with being shared online. You should respect their child’s wishes and obtain their consent before posting any content about them.

     

    Limit Personal Information

    You should be mindful not to share too much personal information about your child online. This includes avoiding posts that reveal your child’s full name, location, school, or other identifying details.

     

    Introducing Safes Parental Control App

    Today, it’s more important than ever for parents to monitor and manage their children’s activities online. Fulfilling this is easier than ever with the Safes parental control app. Safes allows you to monitor your kid’s online sharing and other digital activities, set internet usage limits, and block inappropriate content. With Safes, you can ensure your child has a safe and positive online experience. Also, using such apps can teach your child about online safety from a young age, setting the tone for responsible and safe internet usage.

    Try Safes for your child’s safety by downloading it from our website. You can alternatively download it from major app distribution platforms like Google Play and App Store.

    You may also be interested in reading these valuable resources about putting parental controls on different platforms:

    Sign up for a free trial of Safes to experience it’s benefits without any initial payment.

    Conclusion: To Share or Not to Share?

    While sharenting can be a fantastic way for parents to share their children’s milestones and build a supportive community, it’s essential to do so responsibly. By setting appropriate privacy settings, obtaining your child’s consent, and limiting personal information shared, you can mitigate the risks associated with sharenting. The key is finding a balance that respects your child’s privacy and safety while allowing yourself to share your joy and pride in your child’s accomplishments.

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    Sina

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    Download Safes Kids for Chrombook

    1. Install the Safes Kids app on your Chromebook from Google Play. 
    2. Pair Safes Kids with parent app. Follow the instructions in the app to pair your child’s device with your parent device.  
    3. Add the Safe Kids Chrome extension. Open Chrome and go to the Chrome Web Store. 
    4. Navigate to the Manage extensions page. Click the three dots in the top right corner of Chrome and select “Extensions”>”Manage Extensions”>”Details”
    5. Turn on “Allow in incognito mode” This will allow the Safe Kids extension to work in incognito mode, which is important if your child uses incognito mode to try to bypass the parental controls.
    6. Select Safes extension and follow on-screen instruction

    Download Safes Kids for Android

    Download the Android Kid’s app directly to get the full features!

    Download Safes Kids App on Play Store

    Download Safes Kids App on Safes.so

    Safe Kids is available on the Google Play Store, but if you download it directly from our website, you will get access to Call and SMS monitoring feature, You can monitor the phone calls of your child’s device, as well as the contacts and messages they have sent and received, including those containing inappropriate content.