‘Online Kidnapping’: What is Sharenting? Assam Police Warns Parents About Cyber Predators

Sharenting invades a child's privacy and carries the risk of cyberbullying.

Written by: Tahir Qureshi Edited by: Tahir Qureshi

Updated: July 17, 2023, 4:26 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/viral/what-is-sharenting-that-assam-police-have-warned-parents-about-6172037/ Copy

Assam Police shared AI-generated pictures of kids and urged parents to protect their children from sharenting. (Representational image: pixabay)

What Is Sharenting: A term was coined 13 years back in 2010, called “sharenting”. Sharenting is trending again now courtesy of Assam Police.

The Assam Police has warned people about the practice of sharenting.

Sharenting is used to describe parents who share sensitive information about their children on online platforms and social media. Apparently, this sharing of sensitive data can lead to digital kidnapping, cyberbullying, and puts children at the risk of scammers and predators.

Assam Police shared AI-generated pictures of kids and urged parents to protect their children from sharenting.

HERE IS THE ASSAM POLICE POST

Likes fade, but the digital scars remain.

Shield your child from the perils of Sharenting.

Be mindful of what you share about your child on Social Media. #DontBeASharent pic.twitter.com/Z8oilz8PFR

— Assam Police (@assampolice) July 15, 2023

The post shared on Twitter: “Assam Police @assampolice Likes fade, but the digital scars remain. Shield your child from the perils of Sharenting. Be mindful of what you share about your child on Social Media. #DontBeASharent”.

In fact, some critics have described sharenting as a violation of a child’s privacy and how it can damage the parent-child relationship.

Risks posed by sharenting

• Sharenting invades a child’s privacy and carries the risk of cyberbullying.
• Social media users can use the information to insult, mock, or bully the child even after a long time period has elapsed.
• Posts shared on social media can have long-lasting effects and users and parents may have little or no control over it.
• Even when you delete the posts, there is every chance that their screenshots have been taken and those can be used in the future.
• Digital kidnapping, i.e., a saved photo of a child from any social media platform can be used later with a new name and identity.