TL;DR: Sharenting means parents sharing their children's photos and details online. Barclays has warned it could account for two-thirds of identity fraud against young people by 2030, because posts reveal names, birthdays, schools and home areas: the exact details used to open accounts. Share with a private audience, leave out full names, birth dates, school logos and location, and in the US consider a free credit freeze for children under 16.
What is sharenting?
Sharenting is the habit of posting about your children online: first-day-of-school photos, birthday announcements, funny moments, milestones. It's natural. The problem is what builds up over years, often on public profiles, long before the child can have a say.
Why banks worry about it
In 2018 Barclays warned that sharenting could account for two-thirds of identity fraud affecting young people by 2030, and up to 7.4 million incidents a year, as reported by Grazia and Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce. The details Barclays said parents commonly share include:
- Name and date of birth
- Home address and place of birth
- School name
- Pets, clubs, favourite teams and holiday destinations
Those are the same facts used for security questions and to open accounts. A child's record is attractive to fraudsters because nobody checks it for years.
How child identity theft shows up
The FTC lists warning signs in the US: collection letters for accounts your family never opened, benefits refused because your child's number is already in use, IRS letters about your child's taxes, or a young adult turned down for a student loan because of bad credit they didn't create.
Other risks beyond fraud
- Location. Photos can carry GPS data, and backgrounds show house numbers, cars and school uniforms. See what metadata reveals.
- Reused images. Children's photos get copied to other sites and profiles. Our guide to reverse image search shows how to check where a photo has spread.
- Their future. What's posted at five can be found at fifteen, by classmates, or later by employers.
How to share more safely
- Use a private audience. Close friends lists or private family albums instead of public posts. Start with making Facebook private and Instagram private.
- Leave out the identifiers. No full names, exact birth dates, school names or logos.
- Post after, not during. Share holiday and day-out photos once you're home.
- Turn off location for your camera and remove it when sharing.
- Ask older children first. It builds the habit of consent.
- In the US, freeze your child's credit. The FTC says parents can request a free freeze with each of the three bureaus for children under 16.
In India, the DPDP Act adds rules for how platforms handle children's data; see children's data and the DPDP Act. If your teen uses Snapchat, also check Snap Map location settings.
Parents' own details are part of the picture too. A free email exposure check shows whether your email is in known breaches, and the full Scan My Shadow scan adds your phone number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does sharenting mean?
Parents sharing their children’s photos, milestones and personal details online, usually on social media.
Why is sharenting risky?
Posts can reveal a child’s full name, birthday, school and location, details that fraudsters use for identity theft and that can expose children to strangers.
How much identity fraud is linked to sharenting?
Barclays warned in 2018 that sharenting could account for two-thirds of identity fraud affecting young people by 2030, up to 7.4 million incidents a year.
How can I protect my child from identity theft?
Share less identifying detail, keep documents secure, and in the US request a free credit freeze for children under 16 with each credit bureau, as the FTC advises.
Is it safe to post my child’s first day of school photo?
Safer if it’s to a private audience and doesn’t show the school name, uniform logo, full name or your home.
Sources
- Grazia: Sharenting and identity fraud (Barclays warning)
- Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce: Barclays on oversharing and child identity fraud
- FTC: How to protect your child from identity theft