Sharenting and Rights of Children in India

“Greed to lead to great destruction”

Sharenting in India is first world problem which is surfacing from last few years, sharenting is combination of two words, share and parenting, this word has included in oxford dictionary in June 2024.  Parents often trade privacy of their children for social media attention without realising impact of it on children. It is billion-dollar industry which is expected to increase in multiple fold in upcoming years.

Issue related to sharenting

Sharenting as a concept is so tempting and seems harmful act but it also come with a lot of flaws.

A 2019 study found that adolescents were largely disapproving of sharenting. Their most common reaction towards sharenting was that the act is “embarrassing and useless”.

Here are few issues regarding it:

Kidfluence – Kid plus influencer is new world added in the modern-day dictionary which is become famous which is not good to some extent, in the name of influencing often parents compromise privacy of the children. They have just become prop for the sake of content.

Malicious intention identity theft – People don’t understand short term fame can cause unimaginable harm to children and identify theft one of the major issue children can face in future, online material doesn’t eradicate that easily and can last long, anybody could get any information within one click.

Digital Podophiles: With the rapid rise of technology, social media has become an integral part of everyday life for young children. However, the ease of creating and maintaining an online persona has also made children more accessible to predators, increasing the risk of exploitation, including online grooming, the production of child abuse material, and child sexual abuse. The vast amount of content shared on social media is challenging to monitor, leaving children vulnerable to exposure to harmful material.

Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying is when someone uses the internet to be mean to a child or young person so they feel bad or upset. It can happen on a social media site, game, app, or any other online or electronic service or platform. It can include: posts, comments, texts, messages, chats, livestreams, memes, images, videos and emails.

Digital kidnapping and grooming: Cyber kidnapping are a type of extortion scam where cybercriminals claim to have kidnapped a victim’s family member and demand ransom for their release. These schemes are designed to install fear and urgency, pressuring targets into compliance. In many cases, cybercriminals leverage advanced technology to make their threats seem more believable. For instance, they may use artificial intelligence (AI) to clone the voice of a loved one, making it sound as though the family member is pleading for help. Some scammers even manipulate photographs or videos to create convincing, yet fake, evidence that the family member is in immediate danger.

Image manipulation:

It is impossible for parents to be always mindful about the digital footprint of their children.  With image manipulation become so common, it can harm social image of anyone, especially in the case of children “Once an image is shared online, it can be hard to control where it ends up,” with evolution of social media deepfake is becoming so common, it often uses to create misleading content that harm social image of child.

Laws related to Sharenting

Since it is very new term which still not so famous, the idea is sharenting very exciting for new parents, who are still not aware of harms of it. Privacy is being compromised for the shake of monetary benefits, Children below 18 is use for money form without consent. 

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) highlights several key rights that are often infringed upon through the practice of sharenting. Among these are a child’s inherent right to privacy and the right to be forgotten. These rights are frequently compromised when parents share sensitive information, embarrassing photos, or personal details about their children’s lives without obtaining their consent.

Laws related to Sharenting in India

The Information Technology Act, 2000 (“IT Act”) lacks specific provisions to safeguard a child’s images from casual sharing on social media, with the exception of Section 67B, which penalizes the publication of material involving a child in an obscene manner. As a result, critical issues such as parental control and the protection of basic child rights in the digital space remain largely unaddressed. This raises an important question: should parental control in this context be subject to legal restrictions to protect children, or should it be treated as a private matter requiring no external intervention?

Conclusion

Parents should aim to balance staying connected with friends and family while respecting their children as individuals who will ultimately face the long-term consequences of an online presence. To achieve this balance, one recommended approach is to share photos and content in private albums accessible only to trusted family and friends, rather than posting them publicly. This method helps protect your child’s privacy and reduces potential risks.