Are Parents Oversharing About Their Kids Online?

A new study says yes.

istockphoto.com/Elena Katkova

If you’re like most parents, you gleefully share cute pictures of your kids online and posts about their milestones. But a new survey shows that most people think parents are oversharing details about their kids online. Secure Data Recovery surveyed 1,000 people and found that 75 percent of respondents felt parents are oversharing information online.

The survey authors wrote that Americans’ privacy may be at risk now that we’re sharing everything about our children online, from their first day of school pics to the names of their schools and teachers. And while we love the idea of friends and family members being able to keep up with what’s going on in our families lives, it is scary to think that strangers are viewing these intimate posts. Seventy-three percent of respondents said that they don’t know everyone who views their posts, even though security options are available to make their profiles private.

Of the respondents who are parents, 65 percent reported sharing pictures or making posts about their kids. Nearly 1 in 3 shared details every year about their child’s first day of school and 53 percent reported sharing their kid’s birthday online.

When it comes to posting those soccer pics and prom shots, Gen X parents are doing the most clicking. According to the survey, 45 percent of this age group share about their kids online, compared to 27 percent of Boomers and only 25 percent of millennials (who are probably just busy posting selfies!).

As a mom of tween-aged twins, I’m very conflicted about what might be considered oversharing online. On the one hand, I love keeping up with friends and family this way, but now that my kids are getting older, I think they get to have a say in what goes online about them (particularly pics and info that they might consider “cringe”). On the other hand, the journey of parenting them is my story, too, and on some level, I feel like I have the right to share that experience.

Do you share pics and posts about your kids online? Do you keep your social media public or private? It’s a conversation that definitely needs to continue.

Read more:

Snapchat’s ‘Family Center’ Helps Parents Monitor Teens
New Survey Says 8 of 10 Parents Want Kids Off Social Media

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