Harmful sharenting in the UK: Protecting children from digital harm

Abstract

Sharenting - the sharing of children’s personal information by parents on social media - has become a widespread practice. While often well-intentioned, it exposes children to harm. Examples include identity-related crimes, harassment, cyberbullying, contact by strangers, and privacy breaches. The ProTechTheminterdisciplinary research project brings together social and computer science expertise to investigate sharenting risks. The project reveals that current regulations, platforms’ safety provisions, and parental cybersecurity measures are insufficient to protect affected children from digital harm. This brief outlines key harms of sharenting and proposes both evidence-based and actionable policy recommendations for a safer digital future