A growing number of parents are sharing details about their children’s lives online, a practice often referred to as “sharenting.” While many do so with good intentions—such as expressing parental pride or keeping family members updated—experts warn that such sharing can expose children to significant privacy risks, including exploitation through manipulated images and identity misuse.
Recent data from the Internet Watch Foundation in the United Kingdom highlights the increasing dangers associated with online content featuring children. In 2025, over 8,000 realistic AI-generated images and videos depicting child sexual abuse were identified online, marking a 14% increase from the prior year. Britain’s National Crime Agency has likewise cautioned parents about posting children’s images publicly.
Despite growing awareness of these risks, new research involving 152 parents from nine Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern locations suggests that concern alone does not consistently translate into protective action. The study found that parents who believed specific privacy measures were effective and felt capable of implementing them were more inclined to take steps to safeguard their children’s online presence. Conversely, parents who regularly posted about their children or maintained public social media accounts often demonstrated weaker intentions to employ protective strategies.
The research examined 16 privacy-related actions, including disabling location tags and metadata, restricting resharing options, avoiding the use of real names, and seeking children’s consent before posting images. Findings revealed that confidence in the utility and manageability of these actions influenced parental intent more than perceived threat alone. For example, parents who trusted that turning off location data would protect their children were more likely to do so.
Experts emphasize that making sharenting safer involves more than just adjusting account settings. Parents are encouraged to carefully evaluate the content of their posts, recognizing that seemingly innocuous details—such as street signs, school emblems, or birthday candles—can collectively reveal sensitive information like a child’s age, school, or neighborhood. A reported incident in Malaysia described a stranger allegedly identifying a child by name on school grounds, with the family suspecting the individual had accessed the child’s information through social media.
In addition, parents are advised to tailor the audience for their posts according to their intended purpose, favoring private groups over public accounts when sharing family updates. Since privacy controls cannot fully prevent the redistribution of content, parents should also communicate with relatives about sharing boundaries to maintain control over where and how images circulate.
Researchers suggest that public education efforts should move beyond risk warnings to provide practical guidance, enhancing parents’ confidence in implementing protective measures. This could include instructional sessions at family-related touchpoints such as antenatal classes or school meetings. Meanwhile, social media platforms are urged to improve the accessibility and clarity of their privacy features to better safeguard children online.
As the digital environment becomes increasingly complex, experts stress the importance of equipping parents with actionable tools that enable responsible sharing without exposing young users to unnecessary risk.