For www.parenting.digital, Claire Bessant, Emma Nottingham and Marion Oswald discuss the impact of COVID-19 on family use of technology and the encouragement that families are receiving from businesses, schools, the media and others to share images of their personal life during lockdown. Are the COVID-19 response measures altering public attitudes and cultures towards the sharing of data and information about children? What are the possible future implications for children’s privacy

Bessant, Claire

Nottingham, Emma

Oswald, Marion

English

LSE Research Online

Sharenting	in	a	socially	distanced	worldFor	www.parenting.digital,	Claire	Bessant,	Emma	Nottingham	andMarion	Oswald	discuss	the	impact	of	COVID-19	on	family	use	oftechnology	and	the	encouragement	that	families	are	receiving	frombusinesses,	schools,	the	media	and	others	to	share	images	of	theirpersonal	life	during	lockdown.	Are	the	COVID-19	response	measuresaltering	public	attitudes	and	cultures	towards	the	sharing	of	data	andinformation	about	children?	What	are	the	possible	future	implicationsfor	children’s	privacy?With	lockdown	and	social	distancing	measures	implemented	in	many	countries,	the	internet	has	proved	vital	inaffording	people	a	means	to	stay	connected,	entertained	and	educated.		Many	of	us	currently	rely	upon	onlineplatforms	for	work,	for	schooling,	to	keep	fit,	to	maintain	contact	with	friends	and	loved	ones,	and	to	keep	ourselvesoccupied.		Parents,	keen	to	keep	children	busy,	have	been	hosting	virtual	play	dates.		It	has	been	possible	to	holdfamily	gatherings,	such	as	Mother’s	Day,	only	through	such	mediums	as	Facetime	or	Skype.At	a	time	when	it	is	impossible	to	meet	friends	and	family,	it	is	inevitable	that	many	parents	are	turning	to	socialmedia	to	share	the	highs	and	lows	of	family	life	in	lockdown.		There	is	already	much	evidence	that	even	in	‘normal’times	such	behaviours	can	help	parents	to	face	isolation	and	can	provide	them	with	much	needed	practical	andemotional	support.Share	your	lockdown	picturesThere	is	evidence	that,	since	lockdown,	parents	have	been	actively	encouraged	to	share	details	of	their	familieslives	online.	Parents	have	received	pleas	from	the	national	media,	from	local	newspapers	and	from	organisationssuch	as	Historic	England,	to	share	pictures	revealing	the	story	of	their	lives	during	lockdown.	Schools,	businesses,sports	clubs	and	charities	across	the	United	Kingdom	have	been	encouraging	parents	to	film	their	families	carryingout	tasks	or	challenges	and	then	‘tag’	themselves	and	the	organisation	on	social	media.	Families	are	being	askedto	send	pictures	and	videos	of	how	their	communities	are	supporting	NHS	workers,	even	members	of	the	royalfamily	have	responded,	using	Twitter	to	show	their	children	offering	their	support	for	carers.The	impact	on	privacyIn	recent	years,	even	prior	to	the	COVID-19	outbreak,	there	had	been	growing	concern	around	the	depiction	ofchildren	on	social	and	digital	media.	A	number	of	academics	have	identified	that	such	online	disclosures	ofchildren’s	images	and	information	may	pose	threats	to	children’s	privacy	and	safety,	and	may	result	in	parents,	andothers,	determining	children’s	digital	identity	before	children	themselves	engage	with	the	online	world.	The	risk	ofchild	exploitation	has	also	been	identified,	especially	where	parents	use	YouTube	vlogs	and	‘sharent’	for	financialgain.[1]Since	the	WHO	declared	the	COVID-19	pandemic,	numerous	articles	have	emerged	raising	concerns	about	howindividuals	can	protect	their	privacy.		Concerns	have	been	expressed	about	Government’s	seeking	to	track	ourmovements	or	monitor	our	health;	about	companies	scrutinizing	the	activities	of	employees	working	from	home;about	the	security	of	virtual	meeting	platforms	such	as	Zoom;	and	about	the	privacy	settings	of	apps,	such	as	Tiktokor	Houseparty,		which	have	become	essential	for	teenagers	seeking	to	maintain	contact	with	friends	duringlockdown.		The	Council	of	Europe	recently	released	a	Joint	Statement	on	the	right	to	data	protection	in	the	contextof	the	COVID-19	pandemic,	in	which	it	highlights	the	need	for	personal	data	to	be	protected	in	the	responses	to	thecurrent	pandemic	including	the	various	measures	in	place	for	business	and	education	activities.Strikingly,	however,	there	has	been	little	discussion	regarding	the	specific	impact	of	digital	and	social	media	onchildren	or	the	risk	to	children	posed	by	sharenting.		This	is	notwithstanding	that	where	families	are	locked	downtogether	at	home,	parents	will	be	spending	more	time	with	their	children,	and	this	provides	them	with	greateropportunity	to	take	and	share	images	of	their	child,	possibly	without	the	child	knowing.		It	fails	also	to	recognise	thatthe	risks	for	children	are	potentially	greater,	especially	for	younger	children,	as	they	are	entirely	reliant	on	adults	forprotection.Parenting for a Digital Future: Sharenting in a socially distanced world Page 1 of 2		Date originally posted: 2020-08-12Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/parenting4digitalfuture/2020/08/12/sharenting-during-covid/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/parenting4digitalfuture/The	impact	of	COVID-19	on	sharenting	behaviours	and	a	suggested	responseA	2017	Ofcom	survey	suggests	that	many	parents	understand	the	risks	posed	by	sharenting	and	that	many	choosenot	to	‘sharent’	in	order	to	protect	their	children’s	privacy.		Still,	a	significant	number	of	parents	regularly	shareimages	of	their	children,	the	report	indicated.		It	is	possible	that	more	parents	are	now	sharenting	than	before	–	themessages	from	the	UK	Government	in	March	2020	were	clear,	stay	at	home,	engage	with	others	online.Calls	have	previously	been	made	for	the	Government	to	provide	more	guidance	to	parents	about	sharenting.	It	hasbeen	suggested	that	online	platforms	should	have	a	duty	of	care	to	children,	that	they	should	alert	parents	to	therisks	sharenting	may	pose,	with	warnings	being	shown	where	social	media	systems	detect	that	a	person	intends	topost	images	of	young	children	without	privacy	settings	enabled.	With	no	concrete	steps	having	been	taken	towardsimplementing	these	suggestions,	it	is	entirely	possible	that,	at	a	time	when	there	are	few	alternatives	to	the	digital,parents	have	been	lured	by	the	benefits	that	online	platforms	have	to	offer,	without	being	aware	of	the	risks	ofharm.Perhaps	of	greater	concern,	however,	is	the	potential	longer-term	impact	of	the	pandemic	on	societal	attitudes	tosharenting.		Previously	the	media	have	entered	into	open	debate	about	the	risks	and	threats	posed	by	sharenting,and	in	some	instances	have	taken	steps	to	offer	advice	to	parents	on	these	risks.		A	new	stance,	however,	appearsto	be	emerging,	with	the	media,	hungry	for	heart-warming	stories	and	pictures	of	families	tackling	the	challenges	oflockdown,	encouraging	parents	to	share	images,	failing	to	acknowledge	that	children	may	not	wish	their	images	tobe	shared	online	or	that	risks	may	be	posed	to	children	as	a	result.We	have	already	seen	that	some	broadcast	programming	is	in	danger	of	embedding	a	privacy-intrusive	norm	inrelation	to	the	disclosure	of	information	and	images	of	‘Generation	Tagged’.	The	current	position	where	schools,sporting	associations	and	businesses	are	similarly	encouraging	individuals,	including	children,	to	undertake	andpost	videos	of	them	undertaking	challenges,	similarly	raises	concerns	about	society’s	need	and	desire	to	‘see’	whatchildren	are	doing	and	society’s	failure	to	appreciate	the	privacy	needs	and	rights	of	children.Whilst	it	is	unclear	whether	the	attitudes	that	have	emerged	during	the	COVID-19	pandemic	will	continue	post-lockdown,	the	risks	and	potential	harms	to	children	must	be	addressed.	Government	guidance	for	parents,	schools,businesses,	and	the	media,	on	the	risks	and	benefits	of	sharenting	is	necessary.	With	society	evermore	reliant	ondigital	communication,	and	with	the	‘socially-virtual’	environment	in	which	we	are	currently	living	placing	additionalpower	and	control	in	the	hands	of	online	platforms,	a	greater	emphasis	on	the	responsibilities	of	online	platforms	isundoubtedly	needed.	The	mainstream	media	should	also	be	charged	with	a	duty	to	act	responsibly	towards	childrenand	should	be	discouraged	from	soliciting	images	of	young	children	in	a	digital	environment	where	there	is	littlecontrol	over	dissemination.‘Generation	Tagged’	are	the	first	generation	to	endure	being	closely	documented	on	social	media	as	part	of	growingup	but,	just	as	conversation	was	growing	around	the	issues	associated	with	this,	responses	to	the	COVID-19pandemic	have	placed	a	renewed	emphasis	on	living	our	lives	online,	effectively	shutting	down	the	conversation	onthe	risks	to	children	that	this	might	entail.	The	digital	world	has	and	will	continue	to	have	many	benefits	during	andafter	the	pandemic,	but	the	state	must	act	to	ensure	that	risks	to	children	are	minimised.[1]	The	children	affected	by	such	online	disclosures	are,	using	the	term	coined	by	Oswald,	James	&	Nottingham,‘Generation	Tagged’First	published	at	www.parenting.digital,	this	post	gives	the	views	of	the	authors	and	does	not	represent	the	positionof	the	LSE	Parenting	for	a	Digital	Future	blog,	nor	of	the	London	School	of	Economics	and	Political	Science.Featured	image:	photo	by	Jonathan	Borba	on	UnsplashParenting for a Digital Future: Sharenting in a socially distanced world Page 2 of 2		Date originally posted: 2020-08-12Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/parenting4digitalfuture/2020/08/12/sharenting-during-covid/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/parenting4digitalfuture/

Sharenting in a socially distanced world

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/106404/1/parenting4digitalfuture_2020_08_12_sharenting_during.pdf

Sharenting in a socially distanced world

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