‘SHARENTING’ MAY SEEM LIKE HARMLESS FUN. UNTIL IT’S NOT
Experts sound alarm on social media trend that exposes children to predators
As a new school year approaches, a researcher is sounding the alarm about the dangers of posting photos of your children online.
Although the practice, known as “sharenting,” may seem like harmless fun, Laurel Cook, a social marketing and public policy researcher, said that uploading images of children carries significant risk and raises questions about consent and privacy that are only beginning to be understood. According to the article, published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs, these dangers have been accelerated by a pandemic that has forced many face-to-face interactions to move online. “It’s kind of like having bragging rights, but it’s sharing to much bigger audiences,” said Cook, an associate professor at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at the University of West Virginia. “Much of the fodder for pedophiles is not manufactured. It comes from parents, from these public posts.”
In addition to parental pride, the desire to share images may be reinforced by a chemical component that rewards parents with doses of dopamine for every “like” their photos receive. This only increases the likelihood the behaviour will be repeated and that the photos will be seen by unintended audiences.
“If we saw some random guy peering into our child’s window, what would our reaction be? Think of that situation online. The only difference is the physical versus the virtual realm.”
According to Cook, many parents assume that privacy settings will protect the photos they upload but this isn’t always the case and once a photo is shared online, it can’t be pulled back. The practice is also common among schools and summer camps that may also use these photos, unaware of the dangers. Matters are only made worse by the growing trend of influencers using social media to monetize the very existence of their offspring.
“It’s very obvious that there’s no real consent going on with many of these children,” said Cook, who recommends avoiding overly personal posts and only sharing photos from birthdays or other events after the fact.
“The opinion my colleagues and I have is that if the child is not able to understand and give consent — whatever age that might be for that child — then all that information should probably be kept private.”
These days, data collection on children can begin before they’re even born, thanks to the efficiency with which social media platforms and third-party sites suck up information from shared sources. This digital footprint can follow a person their entire life. “A lot more people have access to information about a minor than I think the world knows,” Cook said.
As the practice accelerates, however, search engine results are the least of researchers’ concerns. “It’s the fact that — No. 1 — there’s zero consent,” Cook said.
“No. 2, sharenting information may be used for vile purposes in some cases and there’s a commerce component to that. So, there is money exchanging hands for these sorts of images and videos. And then No. 3, now it has become even more socially accepted to be commodified. Through sponsorships, parent influencers are now profiting from using images of their children online.”
Part of Cook’s research has focused on dark design, a form of deceptive online interface that employs design elements — such as bright, attractive colours — to manipulate users into clicking the option that consents to sharing their data. In addition to working with regulators on a shared understanding of what it actually means to consent, she hopes to help parents and caregivers realize the risks of dark design and the behaviour it enables.
“That’s what makes me wake up excited every day, to know that my work isn’t just theory,” she said. “It’s something that might move the dial a little bit, to help things change or at least bring awareness to the situation and come up with solutions. I want this environment for children and teens to be addressed. I’m very passionate about it.”
IF WE SAW SOME RANDOM GUY PEERING INTO OUR CHILD’S WINDOW, WHAT WOULD OUR REACTION BE? THINK OF THAT SITUATION ONLINE.