Health experts are warning parents not to excessively share details about their children on social media, cautioning that doing so can have long-lasting impacts on their mental health.
According to a Wednesday article by the Cleveland Clinic, “sharenting” refers to “the act of digital oversharing, of excessively posting information, pictures, stories or updates about your child’s life.”
Examples of sharenting include publicizing private milestones in a child’s life, such as finishing potty training or a girl’s first period. Posting about a mistake a child made or an injury they got while playing could also be humiliating for children.
Even more innocent posts like sharing a child’s positive report card can negatively impact their self-esteem, Cleveland Clinic psychologist Dr. Susan Albers said.
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“Sometimes, parents unknowingly create pressure on their kids by crafting an idealized image online of who their child is,” she described. “That can lead to dips in self-esteem and self-worth.”
Albers added that even if a parent’s post has positive intentions, the whole act of oversharing details about a child’s life “comes with a lot of gray areas.”
“Sharenting comes with lots of gray areas regarding a child’s privacy, autonomy, protection and right to informed consent,” Albers said. “Some countries have put regulations in place to ensure parents are sharing safely.”
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“But we don’t have many laws in the U.S. that protect children online. Everyone has to figure out for themselves when their social media use crosses a line.”
The full impacts of sharenting have yet to be seen, but experts caution that the mental health issues it causes have begun to be observed in teenagers. Albers cited her teenage patients mentioning their parents’ digital behavior in counseling sessions.
“Teenagers, in particular, bring it up because their parents are sharing information they’re uncomfortable with,” she said.
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“We need to understand the long-term emotional impact sharenting may have on children — impacts that we cannot see or fathom yet because they haven’t been researched,” she added.
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel echoed Albers’ concerns in an interview on Wednesday. He said that sharenting can emerge when parents “obsess” over their social media engagement and try posting more and more personal information to get a reaction.
“Keep in mind that kids are already subject to ostracization, marginalization, and feelings of loneliness and isolation because of how they are treated or bullied on social media,” he explained. “Multiple studies have shown that this leads to worsening anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and even suicidal thoughts in a majority of teen girls.”
“The last thing our kids need is their parents throwing gasoline on the flames through what is essentially exploitative treatment of their kids, whether it is intended or not.”
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