This video essay introduces the concept of sharenting – sharing parenting practice online for monetary reasons and personal ambitions of the parents that are being projected onto their children. Supported by statistics and experts’ opinions, this phenomenon has shown to have a massive impact on the children’s life and their relationship with their parent(s). Along with introduction, the video explores possible motivations, consequences and offers advice for fresh, digitally engaged parents.
Sources
Conti, Maria G., Federica Del Parco, Francesca M. Pulcinelli, Elena Mancino, Laura Petrarca, Renato Nenna, Giovanni Di Mattia, Laura Matera, Daniela P. La Regina, Eleonora Bonci, Carla Caruso, and Fabio Midulla. “Sharenting: Characteristics and Awareness of Parents Publishing Sensitive Content of Their Children on Online Platforms.” Italian Journal of Pediatrics 50, no. 1 (July 30, 2024): 135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-024-01704-y
Doğan Keskin, Ayşe, Nuray Kaytez, Merve Damar, Fatma Elibol, and Nuray Aral. “Sharenting Syndrome: An Appropriate Use of Social Media?” Healthcare (Basel) 11, no. 10 (May 9, 2023): 1359. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11101359.
Kopecký, Kamil, Rene Szotkowski, Inmaculada Aznar-Díaz, and José-María Romero-Rodríguez. “The Phenomenon of Sharenting and Its Risks in the Online Environment: Experiences from the Czech Republic and Spain.” Children and Youth Services Review 110 (2020): 104812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104812
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I really enjoyed your video essay! You introduced the concept of sharenting — a term I had never heard before, even though I often come across similar content online. The materials you selected fit your topic and arguments perfectly, and your narration was steady and clear. You managed to explain everything within just four minutes — good job!
When we were children, our families used video cameras or film cameras to record our memories as we grew up. But now, everything can be done with just a smartphone. As a result, the internet is filled with parents recording and posting their children — even very young ones who have no say in it. This has also led to the rise of countless child influencers who earn money for their parents or families, but who might lose their childhood in the process.
Of course, I don’t deny that some children achieve success and gain attention at a young age, but we shouldn’t overlook the many others who don’t — and whose simple, genuine childhood may be lost because of it. Let children be children. I completely agree with your view that parenting should ultimately return to real life, not turn into a performance online. Sadly, that’s hard to do in today’s internet world. Maybe a lot of kids now — and many more in the future — will grow up shaped by sharenting.