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Sharenting gives kids an online presence before they can give consent or understand the risks.

Discuss social media with your kids in an age-appropriate way, and listen to them if they ask you not to post.

Always check privacy settings and avoid sharing sensitive info or metadata with images.

Pausing before posting is a great habit to learn.

Social media is everywhere. While the exact statistic varies, over half of adults in the U.S. use social media in some capacity, and the numbers are rising (Pew Research Center, 2024). Users spend a lot of time on the various platforms keeping up with friends and family, learning about world events, and following updates on our various hobbies and interests. With the aggressive algorithms that keep us engaged, you actually have to purposefully make decisions to avoid or minimize the impact of social media on your life.

All types of people use social media, including parents. And like all users, parents need to regulate how much of their private lives are shared on the platforms. Do you show pictures of your vacations and special events, or just things like food, scenery, and your pets? Another area of attention is the decision to post pictures of your children. Parents posting content of their children online has been termed “sharenting” (Romero-Rodríguez et al.,........

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