Sharing Isn’t Always Caring: How Parents Can Protect Children When Posting Online
As social media becomes an integral part of daily life, many parents are eager to share their children’s milestones and memories online. However, experts warn that posting photos and videos without caution can put children’s safety and privacy at risk.
According to Kaspersky’s Growing Up Online study, nearly half (48%) of parents in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) post content about their children on social media. Of these, more than half include personal details such as the child’s name (53%), location (33%), or stories from their life (37%). Alarmingly, 28% of parents share this content without any privacy restrictions, making it accessible to anyone online.
While most parents share content with good intentions—preserving memories (64%), celebrating achievements (42%), or keeping friends and relatives informed (29%)—they may underestimate the risks involved.
“It is difficult to define the line between safe sharing and compromising a child’s safety,” said Kim Grobbelaar, Consumer Channel Manager for the Middle East and Africa at Kaspersky. “Sharing too much personal information online can expose children to identity theft, stalking, and exploitation. It can also affect a child’s digital footprint, potentially leading to bullying, embarrassment, or reputational harm later in life. Children may also feel a loss of control over their online presence as they grow older.”
To help parents share safely online, Kaspersky recommends the following precautions:
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Limit access to your social media profiles—make them visible to friends only, and ensure these friends are people you know personally. Enable safety features like two-factor authentication and use strong passwords.
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Avoid sharing sensitive information—personal photos, videos, school names, and contacts should remain private to prevent potential harm.
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Consider a reliable security solution—tools like Kaspersky Premium, which includes the Kaspersky Safe Kids module, can help protect family members and private data.
Experts emphasize that responsible digital parenting requires balancing the desire to capture memories with the need to protect children’s safety and privacy.
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