The risks of sharenting: how your child’s digital footprint is used

“Sharenting” is the habit of posting photos and updates about our children online, which slowly builds a public digital footprint that strangers can copy or save. By pausing to adjust our privacy settings and thinking twice before posting, we can easily protect our children’s personal information from being misused by scammers or artificial intelligence tools. Keeping our family memories safe is entirely possible with a few straightforward adjustments to how we use social media.

As parents and teachers, we take immense pride in the children we care for. It feels completely natural to share a photo of a brilliant school play or a muddy football match. We want to connect with friends and celebrate these milestones. However, the internet has changed how these images are stored and processed. What starts as a proud post on a social media feed can become a permanent piece of data. We now know that images are often swept up by technology companies and strangers alike.

This does not mean we have to stop sharing our joy completely. It just means we need a clearer understanding of where these pictures go and who might be looking at them. By taking a few calm and practical steps, we can keep sharing those lovely family moments while keeping our children safe.

What happens to the photos we share online?

Every time we upload a picture of a child to a public platform, we are adding a small piece to a puzzle. Over the years, a collection of birthday snaps and holiday videos creates a detailed profile of a child’s life. Technology companies use automated systems to scan these images. They can read the location data hidden in the photo file, recognise faces and even read the names on school jumpers. This information is gathered quietly in the background. It is not always used for anything harmful, but it does mean a child is building a digital history long before they are old enough to own a smartphone.

When a photo is public, it can also be saved by anyone who views it. People can take a screenshot or download the file directly to their own devices. Once a photo leaves your immediate control, it is very difficult to get it back or know where it might end up. In the UK, the Online Safety Act is putting more pressure on technology companies to protect users and limit how data is handled. Even with these new protections taking shape, the most effective defence is still our own caution.

Think of the internet as a massive public noticeboard in a busy town centre. You might only intend for your family to see the flyer you pinned up, but thousands of strangers will walk past and read it too. We would never pin a child’s full name and home address to a physical noticeboard. Yet, a sequence of public social media posts can easily give away the exact same information. Adjusting who can see your posts is the simplest way to take that noticeboard down and move the conversation into a private room.

How artificial intelligence changes the picture

In recent years, artificial intelligence has made it incredibly easy for people to manipulate images and audio. When we post public videos of our children laughing or speaking, we are sharing both their visual likeness and their unique voice. Scammers and bad actors can use these public files to train software. They can feed a few clear photographs into an application and generate completely new, fake images of that child. These are often called deepfakes, and they are becoming increasingly common.

Similarly, just a few seconds of clear audio from a video is enough to clone a child’s voice. Criminals have used this technology to create voice-cloning scams. They might call a grandparent, sounding exactly like their grandchild, and pretend to be in trouble and in need of urgent money. It sounds like something out of a science fiction film, but the technology is now widely available and very cheap to use. This is why we need to treat a child’s voice and face as sensitive personal data.

This sounds frightening, but there is no need to panic. The scammers rely on easily accessible, public information. If your social media accounts are locked down to trusted friends and family only, the chances of a scammer finding enough material to clone a voice drop significantly. By being mindful about what we share publicly, we cut off the supply of data that these artificial intelligence tools need to work.

Talking to your child about their digital privacy

Children growing up today have never known a world without the internet. For them, sharing things online is simply how people communicate. As they get older, they will want to start posting their own pictures and videos. The best way to prepare them for this is to talk openly about why privacy matters, starting when they are young. You do not need to give a highly technical lecture. Simply explain that pictures put on the internet can stay there forever and can be seen by people they do not know.

If you are a parent, involve your child in the process of sharing. Before you send a photo to the family chat or upload it to a private profile, show it to them. Ask if they are happy for Grandma or your friends to see it. This gives them a sense of ownership over their own image. It teaches them that consent is important and that people should not share pictures of others without asking first. When they eventually get their own devices, this habit of pausing and asking permission will already be second nature.

For teachers, these conversations can easily fit into a classroom setting. When taking photos of a school project or a sports day, explain to the children what the photos are for and where they will go. You can discuss the school’s privacy rules in simple terms. Ask the class how they would feel if someone took a picture of them without asking and put it on the classroom wall. These relatable examples help children understand the core concept of a digital footprint in a way that feels practical rather than abstract.

Managing your family’s digital footprint today

Taking control of your digital footprint does not require a degree in computing. The first and most effective step is to check the privacy settings on all your social media accounts. Go into the account menus and ensure that your profile is set to private, meaning only people you have explicitly approved can see your posts. Take ten minutes to look through your list of followers. If you see people you do not really know or have not spoken to in years, remove them. Your child’s photos should only be visible to people you genuinely trust.

Next, think about the small details hidden within the photos themselves. Before you post a picture of the first day of school, check if the school logo is visible on the uniform or if the street sign outside your house is in the background. It is very easy to accidentally share your daily routine and exact location. You can simply crop these details out or place a digital sticker over them before uploading. Furthermore, turn off the location tagging feature on your phone’s camera so that your pictures do not carry hidden data about where they were taken.

Finally, if you are a teacher or a parent dealing with schools and clubs, make sure you understand their sharing policies. Schools ask parents to sign a consent form regarding photographs at the start of the year. Read it carefully and do not be afraid to opt out of public sharing on the school’s social media pages. You can request that your child’s image is only used for internal displays or private newsletters. Good schools will completely respect your choice and appreciate that you are taking an active role in your child’s online safety.

Try this at home or in class

Here are three simple, concrete steps you can take today to protect your child’s digital footprint:

1. Audit your accounts. Sit down with a cup of tea and open your most used social media app. Find the privacy settings and switch your account to private. Then, scroll through your follower list and remove anyone you would not invite into your living room.
2. Practice the permission pause. The next time you want to take a photo of your child or your pupils, stop and ask them first. Say, “I would love to take a picture of your amazing painting to show Grandad. Is that alright with you?”
3. Do a background check. Choose one photo you were planning to share and play a game of detective. Look closely at the background. Can you see a house number or a local landmark? Crop the image to remove those details before you hit send.

Explaining concepts like artificial intelligence

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is sharenting? Sharenting is the habit of regularly posting photographs and updates about your children on the internet. This practice slowly builds a public digital footprint for a child before they are old enough to use technology themselves.

How can scammers use the pictures and videos I post of my child? Criminals can use public photos to create fake images known as deepfakes. They can also use short audio clips from videos to clone your child’s voice and trick relatives into sending money.

What do technology companies do with the photos I upload? Technology companies use automated systems to scan your images for hidden location data and facial recognition. They can even read details like names on school jumpers, which quietly builds a detailed profile of your child.

How can I protect my child while still sharing family memories online? The simplest way to protect your child is to adjust your social media privacy settings so only trusted friends and family can see your posts. You should also talk openly with your children about digital privacy and involve them in deciding which photos are shared.