'Sharenting' Puts Children at Risk on Social Media

Sharing videos and images of children on social media may not always auger well, researchers of a new survey point out.

The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll found that nearly 70 % of parents of children aged 0 to 4 years who participated in the poll, said they availed social media to seek advice from other parents. Nearly two-thirds of the participants also recognized concerns of sharing private information about children including theft of identity and future causes of embarrassment to their children.

"There's potential for the line between sharing and oversharing to get blurred. Parents may share information that their child finds embarrassing or too personal when they're older but once it's out there, it's hard to undo. The child won't have much control over where it ends up or who sees it," said Sarah J. Clark associate director of the poll in a news release.

The researchers have termed the sharing phenomenon on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the likes, 'sharenting'. The poll found that nearly a third of the parents are aware of oversharenting when they reported knowing at least one parent who share what they thought was too much information about children.

Information on social media in the recent past has been maliciously used for cyber-bullying and identity theft.

"Parents are responsible for their child's privacy and need to be thoughtful about how much they share on social media so they can enjoy the benefits of camaraderie but also protect their children's privacy today and in the future," notes Clark.