This document discusses the issue of parents oversharing photos and information about their children on social media. It notes that while parents intend to innocently share moments with family and friends, this oversharing violates children's privacy rights and puts them at risk. Details shared can allow predators to identify and target children. The document urges parents to be more aware of these dangers of "sharenting" and to use private messaging apps or limit sharing only to close family/friends to better protect children's privacy and safety.

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Molly Kiehne
English III AP D
Dill 6th
March 2, 2015
Children and Digital Privacy
With the new technological wave that has washed over our generation, photo sharing and
social media have become much more prominent in our culture. This leap in technological
innovation has brought with it a decline of awareness for discretion and the standards set for
personal privacy. People of all ages now turn to social media sites, like Facebook, twitter, or
Instagram, to share pictures and videos, with family and friends. Many people fail to realize the
lack of security social media provides. Social media sites can easily access all types of
information despite privacy settings or security measures. The saying “Once it’s on the internet,
it’s there forever,” really does hold true when dealing with our generation of technology. The
question of children’s digital privacy parents’ violations of their children’s right to personal
security has caught the attention of many concerned parents and observers. This controversy
affects not only the children in question, but the parents who are unaware of the consequences at
stake. Many parents choose to share a sizeable amount of pictures of their children with the
social media world without taking into consideration their children’s right to privacy and the
consequences of this invasion of privacy. Not only should children be given the right to
determine their own limits of personal privacy when mature enough, but over-sharing has serious
consequences for young children. Unwanted outsiders are given easy access to personal
information while the chances of children becoming the targets of predators rise. Identities are
easily identified and susceptible to theft and overexposure of children can result in sexual
offenders gaining personal information and choosing their objects of fascination. Parents posting

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and sharing photos and videos of their children is a violation of children’s privacy and should be
moderated in order to preserve individual safety and personal privacy.
Until they can make their own, carefully considered decisions, children’s privacy should
be protected and preserved. It is the job of a parent to make decisions on behalf of their children.
Amy Webb of the New York Times correctly explains, “By recording and publishing our
children’s every dental visit, afternoon recital or poopie diaper, we are removing any possibility
of their future privacy.” By the time they mature enough to make their own decisions, many
choices have already been made for them, like their exposure on social media. Embarrassing or
unwanted photos of children can follow them through adulthood and carry negative memories or
labels. Many parents cross the line when dealing with their children’s privacy and cannot take
back one something goes on the internet. And until kids reach the age to determine what that line
is, parents should use moderation and restrain from oversharing.
To accompany this invasion of personal privacy, the issue of personal safety comes with
over-sharing of pictures and videos of children. Pictures provide information and accessibility
that may cause harm to children. Webb further explains, “Once you tag photos and videos with
your child’s name, you’ve contributed a significant amount of actionable information to
somebody else’s structured database. Machine learning algorithms can then analyze your photos,
and over time recognize your children, even as they age.” By this, children can become the
targets of sexual predators or child offenders. Many children who have experienced dangerous
situations or have been taken advantage of are the result of social media exposure and
information gained in this way. The more parents post of their kids, the easier predators gain
information about their children. Although it is certain that this is a parent’s intention to put his
children in harm’s way, it is inevitable with the increasing amount of media exposure. Unaware

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parents who don’t understand the dangers of “sharenting (over-sharing as a parent)” will
continue to put their children in danger while violating their privacy. Not only does overexposure
on social media violate a child’s right to personal privacy, it puts these children at risk for
unwanted and unneeded predators.
Although many parents only wish to show off their beautiful children to family and
friends, the consequences that can arise from this are too dangerous not to consider. Posting a
picture of a child’s soccer team after a big win or a dance recital may seem harmless at the time,
but can put children in serious danger. *While social media sites provide an easy and accessible
way to share pictures and stay connected, alternatives to these networks do not store information
on children. Apps like GroupMe, WhatsApp, and many more allow for easy communication
between many different groups of people with fewer complications. With these apps, instead of
sharing pictures with the world, parents can share pictures only with desired family members and
trusted friends. However harmless and innocent showing off children on social media may seem,
serious and significant dangers lie beneath the surface. It is necessary that parents become more
aware of this fact. Without a change in our generation’s need to “share,” children will continue to
be invaded of their privacy and put in harm’s way. *Parents need to become aware of the
consequences of “sharenting” and turn to safer alternatives to protect their children.