SHARENTING DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: YAY OR NAY

Abstract

In this 21st century, social media has taken over as a dominant form of social interaction and the recent COVID-19 quarantine or ‘stay at home’ during Movement Control Order (MCO) has left many even more dependent on social media to stay in touch with family, friends and the outside world. Many parents are unaware of the risks associated with excessive sharing of detailed information about their children online and that oversharing information about children on social media poses immediate and long-term risks to the children’s physical safety, online privacy, and emotional well-being. Thus, it is critical for parents to understand these risks and realize that their children’s right to privacy and safety supersedes the benefits of sharenting. By using a qualitative analysis on library-based sources, the objective of this study is to determine whether the COVID-19 response measures of MCO altered the practice of sharenting by parents. This study will be focusing on the type or content of sharing by parents of the images, videos, stories, and daily activities of their children throughout the quarantine period and the possible future implications to the children. Further, this study intends to understand the effect of ‘pranks’ played on the children to record their reaction which is trending in social media during the said quarantine period. The study concludes that since it is hard to disapprove of sharenting in today’s advancement of technology and the existence of various social media platforms, parents should always keep in mind the adverse effects of sharenting. Instead, the parents are best to value the quarantine time at home with the children with only minimal and suitable sharing to the social media for the safety and privacy of the children.