Sharenting is a term for the overuse of social media by parents to share content about their children, typically photos, videos, or anecdotes. It’s a portmanteau of the words “sharing” and “parenting.” While sharing family moments online can be a way for parents to connect with friends and family, it can also raise concerns about the child’s privacy, safety, and consent, as well as potential long-term consequences for the child as they grow older and realise the extent to which their lives have been documented online without their input or consent.

Parents have no control over what happens to their children’s images once they are on the internet. Even though some parents may use privacy settings on their social media profiles, once they share images of their children, they cannot manage what people do with the photos.