In a world where the average American spends 11 hours on social media every single day, the term Sharenting has become a hot topic of interest. Are we sharing too much, and are our children at risk for it? Sharenting is described by Wikipedia as the overuse of social media by parents to share content based on their children. It is related to the concept of “too much information”. There is an ongoing debate as to how parents can balance their right to share with their child’s interest in privacy. (Source)
One of the most controversial questions I get asked as a mom blogger is, “How are you so comfortable sharing so much of your life online?”. To be perfectly honest, this has always been a difficult question for me to answer because I see their point of view. The world we live in is unfortunately a very dangerous one, and there are a lot of risks when it comes to posting any information online, let alone photos of your dear children! It makes sense that people would disagree that it is ok. Another point of view is that one day your child will grow up and have their face plastered all over the internet and never even had the chance to make that decision for themselves. Shouldn’t it be up to them if they want a photo posted?
On the other end of the spectrum there are so many of us mom bloggers out there who’s voices and experiences shared, are making waves in the world of women, and positively inspiring other mothers every single day. Mom bloggers all over the world are connecting with mothers who are struggling from becoming a new mom, and learning the how to cope with postpartum depression, D-MER, Breastfeeding difficulties, and just plain fear. Mom bloggers are building a community of support for mothers who have lost, mothers who are still trying to become mothers, and mothers who have reached an age where the nest is now empty and they don’t know what to do next. There is a community for mothers with children of disabilities, children who are exceptional, children who troubled… There is a community… That is a powerful, beautiful, and incredible thing to be a part of!
So what do you believe? Do you side with any sides? Maybe you agree with a little bit of both opinions. Maybe you are 100% sided left or right. Maybe you do not have an opinion at all! As a mom blogger myself I will be transparent and say that I am not totally sure I believe it is ok or not ok…. But what I do believe is that there is a happy medium to both opinions. I agree that safety and caution is important on the internet, I believe that respecting my children and their feelings and privacy is important, but I also believe that it is good to follow my heart and to want to do good in the world and to complete my calling to write, blog, and influence!
With all of that said and done, I have reached out to several of my mom blogger pals and asked them to contribute their personal opinions on the topic no matter what they believe. Read them all below and be sure to stop by their blogs too and check out this amazing community that is growing together!
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I was hesitant in the beginning to share my baby’s photos online but I realized that as long as I am mindful of what I share, I am fine with it. It’s one way for me to connect with my family and friends back home. As long as I am posting to express and not to impress, I believe we are all living in a whole new world where social media is already part of our life. This is something we have to embrace. I am proud to share my journey and I am hopeful to inspire and connect with others through my personal experiences and that includes photos of my little one.
I was a little hesitant at first but now that our son has been diagnosed with a Rare Genetic Disorder–Dyrk1a Syndrome–I am all about it. I am raising awareness about this syndrome and other rare genetic disorders! His and his brother’s photos have been shared on Scary Mommy and The Mighty! I think it is relatable when they see your child’s picture versus a stock photo.
I think it is ok to share our children on social media! Seeing moms with their children can be so uplifting and endearing for other moms. And It’s fun to see all the cute children with their fashions and trends! That said, i feel like we can be careful about the type of photos we post. I also feel like we need to take the precautions necessary to not lead predators to us. For example, if someone shares location, use broad locations instead of specific ones. And make sure you educate your children on safety precautions when in public places. Awareness is key! So many people target mothers with multiple children because we are more distracted, never think you are above being targeted. As long as you are being safe though, I think it’s absolutely fine to share our families.
I have a toddler and I haven’t shared many photos of her. It’s not because I have a strong opinion about not sharing photos of your kids. It’s because I’m paranoid about identity theft or the photo being misused. Then again I run a personal finance blog. I don’t write primarily about motherhood or children so I don’t have to worry as much about the consequences of not posting your kid’s photos and not being relatable.
I share about my kids, but as they have gotten older the things I choose to share has changed. The best way to describe why is that their successes and challenges have become more singular. When the problem was sleep deprivation and figuring out how to introduce vegetables, there were moms all over the world dealing with the exact same thing. But now that they’re older and they’re navigating bigger emotions and complicated friendships, I try to be careful about what I share. I wrote about it when my oldest started kindergarten…
I started sharing photos of my kids to a larger audience three years ago on Instagram and my blog. Honestly I hadn’t considered how they might feel about it until about 6 months ago! I prefer to treat my kids with the same respect I give adults, so if they’re ever not in the mood to take pictures I don’t force it. And I always show them the pictures I post—they love seeing themselves! Another important thing to me is to not post pictures that are shameful or embarrassing, I wouldn’t do that to an adult or friend so I won’t do it to my children.
As an influencer/blogger with a partial focus on motherhood, my kids photos are posted (and reposted) quite frequently. At this point, I feel comfortable with the decision that I’ve made. The scary thoughts about “what if some creep is looking at/saving my girls’ photos” and “what if we get a stalker” have certainly crossed my mind. Truthfully, there’s bad people at the park and the supermarket just like there are on the internet. I remind myself daily that I need to be aware of my content and followers online and to be aware of our surroundings and people in public. I take the posting of my child’s photos day by day. If there ever comes a point where I don’t feel like it’s safe anymore then I will reevaluate that decision.
I occasionally post one of my kids’ photos but I like to keep in mind what I would want shared about me. As they get older, I find that I don’t share their photos as often unless they are helping me out with a blogging project like food preparation or a craft/ DIY. I am also mindful of location and personal info because I don’t want to create trouble for them when they are older and in the midst of establishing their own legal identities and getting into the professional world. I always think about how much personal info is being shared about the models you see in clothing catalogs or even about child actors. and it is enough for them to effectively do their job while not endangering them and their personal information.
So there you have it! I would love to hear your take on this topic and open the floor for respectful discussion. Comment below if you want and feel free to reach out to me directly as well. This is a topic I find really interesting and truly want to expand in a later post, and I would love to take in more knowledge of others thoughts!
I think sharenting happens because parents are proud of their babies and they want other people to know about their kids’ progress and celebrate it with them especially with their friends and relatives that are in other part of the globe. However, it is too scary to think that a simple action of posting a picture or a video of your child online could have safety consequences.
Great article!!!
When my son was born my husband and I decided not to put him on social media. There are maybe 3 pictures of him and two of which you can’t see his face. I’m happy that we are keeping him and his pictures protected, but it’s been isolating for me being a stay at home mom (especially while in the baby stage when it’s hard to get out and participate in your local community). We don’t live near most of our family and I always love seeing pictures of nieces and nephews and it makes me sad that our families aren’t able to watch my son grow as well (and that the world is missing out on his cute face haha). Its also hard to engage with online communities in a meaningful way or create one of your own (e.g. blogging) when such a big part of your life is off-limits. So it’s been interesting. Connecting outside of social media is probably the best option in this case, but since that’s where everyone is and what’s most convenient, it’s usually easier to not bother. But when I see people oversharing or hear stories about pictures popping up in bad places, I’m always glad we chose this.
This is such an important issue. As a mom, I struggled with it a lot, as a mom who blogs even more so. When they were little, I shared no pictures. Now that they are a bit older, I do share their pictures but I usually do back or side profile pictures. I do show them the pictures and ask if it’s ok to post it – to be honest – they love it, I am the one who is more hesitant about it. Since I blog about all aspects of my life it’s would feel strange to not share anything about my family. What I do these days is “proceed with caution” and always take time to think before I publish.