Sharenting, parental mediation and privacy among Spanish children

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyse sharenting, a relatively widespread practice among Spanish mothers and fathers that involves the publication of comments, images or videos of the lives of their children on social networks or blogs. Even when the actions of parents are well-intended, the information shared may not always set well with their children, and it could expose them to risks. Based on the results of a survey of 2900 Spanish schoolchildren (9–17 years old), their experiences of sharenting have been studied. Nearly one in five say that their parents have shared information about them online. This practice increases with age, affecting girls in particular. Approximately 12% of the children asked their parents to delete this shared information, and negative consequences resulting from this practice, whether direct or indirect, are not common (4%). The association between sharenting and the enabling and restrictive parental mediation strategies has also been analysed. The data show that parents who frequently mediate their children’s online activity share significantly less information. In any case, what stands out is the fact that parents post this information online, which indicates the need for parents to have a higher level of awareness about this issue.