Learn Dark Web

Safety Center

What Is Sharenting? Why It Matters

Sharenting is "sharing" plus "parenting": posting your children's photos, milestones and everyday moments online. It comes from love — and it builds a digital record of a child who never agreed to it. This guide is not here to judge; it is here to show the risks and the simple habits that remove most of them.

By Abdul Hannan · Published 14 November 2026 · Updated 14 November 2026

What sharenting is

The word covers a wide range. At one end, the occasional family photo shared with relatives. At the other, accounts built entirely around a child, with thousands of followers and brand deals. Most parents sit at the small end — a birthday photo here, a first day at school there — and do not think of it as "sharenting" at all. But every photo adds to a child's digital footprint before the child is old enough to understand what a footprint is. By the time a child starts secondary school, many have hundreds of photos of themselves online, posted by other people, and a record they did not choose and cannot delete.

Why it can be a problem

Photos travel further than you think

A photo shared with "friends" can be screenshotted, re-shared, and copied onto other sites — including sites you have never heard of. Once posted, assume a copy exists somewhere. A photo meant for grandparents can end up in an advertising database, a facial recognition dataset, or, in the worst cases, in the hands of strangers who collect images of children. The risk is not that every photo causes harm; it is that you cannot control where any photo goes.

Details add up to an identity

A first name in one post, a school name in another, a birthday in a third, a location in a photo's hidden metadata — together, they identify a child. Photos often carry GPS coordinates accurate to a few metres, stored by the phone automatically. Our metadata guide explains exactly what your files reveal. A school uniform, a house number in the background, a team shirt — each detail narrows the field.

The child had no say

This is the part parents find hardest, and it matters most. A child cannot consent to a public record of their childhood. The photo that is cute at three can be embarrassing at thirteen, and it will still be online. Older children are already asking parents to take photos down — and in some countries, they have begun to win legal rights over their own images. Asking first is not just good manners; it is the habit that prevents most problems.

It trains the wrong lesson

Children watch what their parents do more than what they say. A parent who posts a child's photos while telling the child to be careful online sends a mixed message. The family rules land better when they apply to everyone.

What not to post: the checklist

  • Full name together with school name, team name, or location
  • Photos in school uniform, or showing the home or street
  • Bath, swim or changing photos — never, in any setting
  • Birthdays with full dates, or holiday dates while you are away
  • Photos with visible GPS location data — strip metadata first
  • Medical details, or anything about a child's health or behaviour
  • Other people's children without their parents' permission
  • Photos a child has asked you not to share

How to share safely

  1. Share with a small, known audience. A private family group, not a public post. Check who can actually see it — privacy settings change, and defaults are often public.
  2. Strip location data. Turn off location tagging in your camera, and remove metadata before sharing. Our metadata guide shows how.
  3. Ask older children first. A simple "is this one okay to share?" builds the habit of consent — and it is the right thing to do.
  4. Skip the details in captions. "First day of school" needs no school name, no teacher's name, no class number.
  5. Audit old posts once a year. Delete the ones that reveal too much, and tighten the audience on the rest.
  6. Talk about it as a family. Our family internet safety plan includes the photo rules for all three generations.

What older children say

Ask a teenager what they think of their parents posting their photos, and the answer is usually more thoughtful than parents expect. Most do not mind family photos shared with relatives — they mind the embarrassing ones, the ones posted without asking, and the ones that stay online long after they have asked for them to come down. The fix is simple and cheap: ask first, every time, from about the age of eight or nine onward. "Is this one okay to share?" takes five seconds and teaches consent by example. When a child asks you to delete a photo, delete it — visibly, in front of them, and tell them you did. That single act teaches them more about digital respect than any lecture, and it protects their trust in you. Children who feel their boundaries are respected are children who tell you things — including the things that worry them online. Our kids, teens and parents guide has the age-staged conversations to match.

The test before you post. Would you be comfortable with this photo on a noticeboard in a public place, with your child's name and school underneath? If not, do not post it — or share it privately with family instead. Back to the Safety Center.

Sharenting is not a crime and it is not a moral failure — it is a habit most parents picked up without thinking, because sharing is what the apps are built for. The fix is also a habit: small audience, no location, ask first, audit yearly. Your children will thank you for it later — and they will be safer in the meantime.

Sources

Last checked: 14 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is sharenting?

A mix of “sharing” and “parenting”: parents posting photos, videos and details about their children online — first days at school, birthdays, holidays, everyday moments. The term covers everything from the occasional family photo to accounts built entirely around a child.

Why is sharenting dangerous?

Because a child’s photos and details can be copied, shared and reused without your control — by advertisers, by data collectors, and in the worst cases by strangers. Names, school details and location data in a photo can identify a child, and the child had no say in any of it.

Is it illegal to post photos of my own children?

Usually not, in itself — parents generally have the right to share photos of their own children. But the law is changing in some countries, and sharing other people’s children, or sensitive images, is a different matter. This page is general information, not legal advice.

What should I never post about my children?

Their full name with their school name, their location or home address, photos in school uniform or at home, bath or swim photos, medical details, and any photo whose metadata reveals GPS coordinates. Strip location data before sharing anything.

Can I share photos of my children at all?

Yes — with care. Share with a small, known audience, strip location data, avoid school names and uniforms, ask older children first, and check your privacy settings so posts are not public by default. The checklist in this guide makes it a habit.