Sharenting: risks and awareness when parents publish sensitive content of their children on online platforms

Sharenting: risks and awareness when parents publish sensitive content of their children on online platforms | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Sharenting: risks and awareness when parents publish sensitive content of their children on online platforms Maria Giulia Conti, Fabiola Del Parco, Francesca Maria Pulcinelli, and 9 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4270697/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 30 Jul, 2024 Read the published version in Italian Journal of Pediatrics → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background The term "sharenting’' describes the increasingly popular habit of parents to share photos, videos, or other information regarding their children on their social profiles, through online platforms. It is highly likely that many parents are posting content about their underage children online with little knowledge of the risks associated with this practice. This study aims to investigate whether variables such as parents’ age, gender, marital status, occupation and educational level influence the practice of sharing child-related content and the degree of awareness. Methods We performed a pilot cross-sectional study, based on an anonymous questionnaire. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to parents of underage children attending the pediatric outpatient clinic of the Umberto I Hospital, Sapienza University, in Rome, by researchers, through the google forms platform; qualitative variables were generated on excel sheets and a statistical analysis was performed on SPSS Ibm-statistics using the chi-square test. Results 228 parents of children under 18 years of age completed the questionnaire (82% mothers, 18% fathers); 98% of the respondents used social media and 75% of them published their children’s related content online. Thirty-one percent of the compilers started their practice of sharenting in the first 6 months of life of their child. Our analysis showed that compared to parents who do not post online, parents who usually post online their children are significantly more likely to be partial employees or unemployed (p = 0,002), with lower educational level (p = 0,05), younger (less than 35 years of age (p = 0,01)) and have a high number of followers (p < 0,001). Finally, 93% of the compilers were not aware of the current legislation and of the risks related to the practice of sharenting. Conclusions Pediatricians, healthcare assistants and preventive healthcare professionals should play a central role in alerting parents and families to the risks of sharenting; the results of our study could draw their attention to the increasing practice of sharenting and make healthcare professionals active part in the protection of children. Sharenting social media children privacy Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Background The term "sharenting," is the combination of "sharing" and "parenting," and describes the increasingly popular habit of parents to share photos, videos, or other information regarding their children on their social profiles, through online platforms( 1 ). The social media most frequently used for this practice are Facebook (54%), Instagram (16%) and X (former Twitter) (12%)( 1 ). The risks and consequences of sharenting are varied in nature and complex to fully comprehend, as they also involve legal issues related to child image protection, data privacy and digital security. A report by the Cybercrime Analysis Unit - UACI - of the Italian State Police, which deals with various types of online child abuse, cyberbullying and child pornography, shows that younger children, within the age of 10, are often lured into online platforms, linked to free online gaming apps, accessible through their parents' smartphones( 2 ). Although often unintentional and unaware, this growing phenomenon can expose children to several risks, including identity theft, sexual exploitation, and future emotional distress related to sharing emotions and moods( 3 ). Sharing images, videos, and any kind of content featuring children means building a child's "digital dossier" without their consent and without their knowledge, that can be accessible in the future by employers or other unauthorized persons ( 4 ). Although the practice of sharenting through social media is considered to be relatively low-risk, as long as children are not identifiable, most parents continue to share information and images of their children without any precautions, often because of a false sense of security about the privacy settings declared by social media. However, as soon as images or videos are posted online, any effective control over them is lost, ownership of photos uploaded by parents to social media is lost and it is generally difficult to obtain their removal due to a substantial lack of legislation( 5 ). According to a recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal and researchers of the Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Instagram's algorithms actively promote pedophile networks that commission and sell child pornography content from the popular Meta4 image-sharing app( 3 ). A recent survey of 427 people in Turkey found that 86.9 percent of participants said that the sharing of children's photos and videos on social media platforms by parents, relatives and caregivers can be assessed as child neglect and abuse( 6 ). The practice of "sharenting" is on the rise, especially in Western countries, and it is highly likely that many parents are posting content about their minor children online with little knowledge of the risks associated with this practice. Methods We realized a pilot cross-sectional study, based on an anonymous questionnaire with the aim to describe parents' use of social/online platforms and related posted content regarding their minor children and to investigate whether the publication of online material concerning children of the study participants is practiced consciously with awareness of the potential risks. To investigate also whether variables such as age, gender, marital status, employment status, and educational level of parents influence the practice of sharenting. The questionnaire was administered through a link by framing a specially generated QR code using the Google forms application. A literature search was conducted, and the questionnaire form was prepared by the researchers based on a previous recently published survey( 6 ). The survey was anonymous and was arranged in compliance with the Data Protection Authority. The average duration for completing the questionnaire was about 2 minutes. Statistics The results obtained from the anonymous questionnaire were subjected to an initial analysis using the automatic statistical counting of Google forms, then qualitative variables were created on Excel sheets, and a second statistical analysis was carried out through the SPSS IBM Statistics program, using the parametric chi square test. Results with a p value < 0.05 were considered significant. Population Parents (who have reached the age of majority) of underaged children (aged 0–17 years, according to the Italian Legislation), who accessed the general outpatient clinic of Pediatrics at Policlinico Umberto I Hospital were enrolled in the study. Parents’ awareness regarding to the Sharenting was defined by responses to specific questions (see Table 1 and Table 2 legends). Occupational status was defined as “Not employed or not fully employed” if unemployed, partially employed, or in parental leave. Educational level was defined as lower (primary and secondary school diploma, none) or higher (diploma, degree, PhD). Table 1 Analysis of socio-cultural characteristics between parents who publish (G p) child content and parents who do not publish (G np) Variables G p G np Tot (%) p value Partial employment 90/170 (53%) 17/58 (29.3%) 107/228 (46.9%) 0.002 Lower educational status* 21/170 (12.4%) 2/58 (3.4%) 23/228 (14%) 0.05 Not aware** 160/170 (94.1%) 53/58 (91.3%) 213/228 (93.4%) 0.4 Single parent 28/170 (16.4%) 6/58 (10.3%) 34/228 (14.9%) 0.2 Parent age < 35y 60/170 (35.3%) 10/58 (17.2%) 70/228 (30.7%) 0.01 Child age 500 36/170 (21.2%) 1/58 (1.7%) 37/228 (16.2%) < 0.001 knowledge of the violated content of acquaintances 115/170 (67.6%) 42/58 (72.4%) 157/228 (69%) 0.5 Table 2 Analysis of socio-cultural characteristics between parents who use online gaming apps (APP Yes) and parents who do not use gaming apps (APP No) to entertain their children Variables APP Yes APP No P value Full-time employment 42/91 (46.2%) 79/137 (57.7%) 0.08 Lower educational status* 15/91 (16.5%) 8/137 (5.8%) 0.009 Not aware** 89/91 (98%) 124/137 (90.5%) 0.03 Single parent 15/91 (16.5%) 19/137 (14%) 0.5 Compiler age 8y 49/91 (53.8%) 40/137 (29.2%) < 0.001 Results A total of 228 parents of children under 18 years of age were surveyed (82% mothers, 18% fathers). Of them, 31% were under 35 years of age and 69% were over 35 years of age, and 98% were European. Ninety-eight percent of the respondents used social media. Among parents using one or more social media, 75% posted content about their children online; 25% of them stated that they have never posted content about their children on social media. We found that, compared to parents who do not post photos of their children (Gnp), parents who post photos of their children (Gp), tended to have part-time employment (29.3% vs. 53%, p = 0.002), a lower level of education (3.4% vs 12.4%, p = 0.05), an age younger than 35 (17.2% vs 35.3%, p = 0.01), and a number fi followers greater than 500 on social platforms (1.7% vs 21.2%, p = < 0.001) (Table 1 ). We also found that the majority of parents who post children’s content (n 70, 31%) started within the first 6 months of life (Fig. 1 A). A total of 100 interviewed (44%), state that postings occur less than once a month, while only 4% (n 9) state that they post content more than once a day (Fig. 1 B) The most used social platforms for sharing content (photos and/or videos) about children are Whatsapp (63.3%), Facebook (46%) and Instagram (44.6%) (Fig. 2 A). The most posted content are photos and/or videos of the child (74.4%), followed by photos and/or videos with parts of the body and face obscured (24%); thoughts and feelings are shared in 17% of cases. Location tagging is used in 28.2% of postings (Fig. 2 B). When asked about the reasons why sharing information about their children on social platforms, 41% of parents answered that they posted to “share everyday life”, 40% as a manifestation of pride, while only 3 (3%) subjects admitted to do it for work and 1 receives income from this activity by social media (Fig. 2 C). Generally, the interaction with the “followers”, expressed by the simple “like”, consequent to the posting of children's photos and videos, generates satisfaction by the parent (82 interviewed (36%) stated that they feel “very satisfied”, 39 (17%) on average satisfied, 49 (21%) not very satisfied, and 58 (25%) not at all satisfied). We then investigated the parent's level of awareness with respect to the issue of sharenting and the risks related to the exposure of minors on online platforms: we found that 93% of the respondents were not aware (Fig. 3 ). Given the risk also associated with the use of online gaming app, we asked parents whether or not they let the child use online gaming apps, 40% admitted that habit. The analysis showed that gaming apps are used more by parents who have a lower level of education (46.2% vs 57.7%, p = 0.009), parents who are not aware of the risks related to the use of online platforms (98% vs 90.5%, p = 0.03), and, finally, parents with children older than 8 years of age (53.8% vs 29.2%, p < 0.001) (Table 2 ). The questionnaire generated different reactions to the interviewed parents: 51% said they were interested and wanted to learn more about sharenting, 27% felt more anxious about the topic, 20% said they were indifferent, and 2% felt annoyed by the questions (Fig. 4 ). Discussion In the phenomenon of ‘’Sharenting’’, the main focus is related to the privacy and online exposure of the child. As highlighted in this study, sharing contents children-related is fueled by the number of followers parents have on their social channels (Table 1 ), this result is in line with what has been shown in other studies ( 7 , 8 ). Generally, the high number of followers correlates with greater activity on social channels, with more photos and videos posted, as such practice generates interactions which is linked to a sentiment of “satisfaction” and in some cases even material incomes including gifts, sponsorships and money. Our study also found that sharenting is more frequent by parents with age < 35 years and that content sharing begins in the first 6 months of the child's life (Fig. 1 A); these observations suggest that sharenting is more frequently practiced in the early stages of parenthood, when parents, especially mothers, are more likely to feel isolated and lonely, as also highlighted in other studies in the literature ( 9 ); however, our questionnaire did not investigate the psychological aspect of the phenomenon and further studies are necessary to confirm this hypothesis. Among the reasons why parents post their children's content, it emerged how the integration of social media into people's lives has generated the need to share personal events with the virtual community (one of the first reason for sharing), in addition to the pride felt by the parent towards her/his child (Fig. 2 C). As also demonstrated in a recent study ( 9 ), parents under 35 feel the need to make their new parental status public and to prove that they are 'good parents'; in a time when our lives are deeply influenced by the technology and real identities overlap with digital identities, this need is satisfied by the sharing of their children's lives and habits on social networks; social fulfilment therefore seems to necessarily pass through social platforms. The continuous online exposure of children entails several risks, including the violation of privacy and confidentiality, which is a children’s right, as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Adolescent and more recently in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Parents are considered the 'custodians' or 'owners' of their children's personal data, including the use of such data( 10 ); however, the psychological repercussions in children when they discover later in life that they have been exposed on the online network without their explicit consent and knowledge can be severe. A recent survey published in the Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health found that children aged between 4 and 17, surveyed through the administration of an age-adapted questionnaire, expressed the wish to be questioned and listened to before their parents shared stories or images about them on social media( 4 ). Finally, the most dramatic consequences of an uninformed use of children in social media are the risk of spreading content that can be used as material on pedophilia networks and the risk of luring through the use of online gaming apps( 2 , 3 ). In light of these alarming statements and of the increasing use of social media, measures need to be taken to protect children from the 'sharenting syndrome'. Conclusions The results of our study could draw the attention of pediatricians, healthcare assistants and preventive healthcare professionals to the increasing practice of parents and families of publishing sensitive content about their children on online platforms and to the serious related risks. Pediatricians, healthcare assistants and prevention professionals should play a central role in alerting parents and families to the risks of this practice. Declarations Authors’ contributions FDP, MGC, FM, GLT conceived the study. FDP, MGC, FMP, LP, EM, RN, LM, GDM, DPLR, FV acquire the data. FDP, MGC, FMP, LP, RN, EM drafted the manuscript. FDP, EB, MGC performed the data analysis. All authors have revised and approved the final manuscript. Funding No funding. Availability of data and materials The data are available upon reasonable request and with permission of Lazio region. Requests to access should be directed to corresponding author. Ethics approval and consent to participate The present study, in accordance with national legislation regarding observational studies, was notified to the local ethical committee Territorial Ethics Committee Lazio Area 1 and approved with the report n° 1002/2023 of the 13/12/2023. Informed written consent was obtained by participants before the enrollment. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests All authors have no conflict of interest to declare. Author details Department of Maternal Child and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy. References Ferrara P, Cammisa I, Corsello G, Giardino I, Vural M, Pop TL, et al. Online “Sharenting”: The Dangers of Posting Sensitive Information About Children on Social Media. Vol. 257, Journal of Pediatrics. Elsevier Inc.; 2023. Dentro i numeri la lotta alla pedofilia online della polizia di stato. 2023. ’Horwitz J ’Blunt, K. Instagram Connects Vast Pedophile Network. 2023 Jun 7; Sarkadi A, Dahlberg A, Fängström K, Warner G. Children want parents to ask for permission before ‘sharenting.’ J Paediatr Child Health. 2020 Jun 1;56(6):981–3. Gatto A, Corsello A, Ferrara P. Sharenting: hidden pitfalls of a new increasing trend– suggestions on an appropriate use of social media. Vol. 50, Italian Journal of Pediatrics. BioMed Central Ltd; 2024. Doğan Keskin A, Kaytez N, Damar M, Elibol F, Aral N. Sharenting Syndrome: An Appropriate Use of Social Media? Healthcare (Switzerland). 2023 May 1;11(10). Brosch A. When the child is born into the internet: Sharenting as a growing trend among parents on Facebook. New Educational Review. 2016;43(1):225–35. Orhan Kiliç B, Kiliç S, Konuksever D, Ulukol B. The relationship between mothers’ Instagram follower count and the concept of sharenting. Pediatrics International. 2024 Jan 1;66(1). Mascheroni G, Cino D, Amadori G, Zaffaroni LG. (Non-)Sharing as a Form of Maternal Care? The Ambiguous Meanings of Sharenting for Mothers of 0- To-8-Year-Old Children. Italian Sociological Review. 2023;13(1):111–30. Kopecky K, Szotkowski R, Aznar-Díaz I, Romero-Rodríguez JM. The phenomenon of sharenting and its risks in the online environment. Experiences from Czech Republic and Spain. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2020 Mar 1;110. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 30 Jul, 2024 Read the published version in Italian Journal of Pediatrics → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revision 02 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 May, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 17 May, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 14 May, 2024 First submitted to journal 15 Apr, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4270697","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":303664814,"identity":"569287b0-5660-4153-8326-05c2a651a22f","order_by":0,"name":"Maria Giulia Conti","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sapienza University of Rome: Universita degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maria","middleName":"Giulia","lastName":"Conti","suffix":""},{"id":303664815,"identity":"2b8b834d-0232-4671-93ca-6f0d8cf54085","order_by":1,"name":"Fabiola Del 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Percentages related to the number of parents answering the question about how old her/his child was when they stared sharenting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eB. Percentages related to the number of parents answering the question about how frequent theu post contents related to their child online.f sharenting\u003cstrong\u003e.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4270697/v1/b1614e0f7312f12a70deb5d4.png"},{"id":57707585,"identity":"177d562b-7ade-4b53-bff4-64c2c08ce990","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-04 15:11:44","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":76111,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBar graphs describing Social online platforms used for sharing, content types, and reason behind the sharing.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBar graphs representing the number of parents 2A. using different online platforms for sharenting (the most used social platforms for sharing content (photos and/or videos) about children are Whatsapp (63.3%), Facebook (46%) and Instagram (44.6%)).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2B. Bar graphs representing the posting different contents related to their children (the most posted content are photos and/or videos of the child (74.4%), followed by photos and/or videos with parts of the body and face obscured (24%); thoughts and feelings are shared in 17% of cases. Location tagging is used in 28.2% of postings).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2C. Bar graphs representing the answering the question on the reasons why the share their children related contents online (41% of parents answered that they posted to “share everyday life”, 40 % as a manifestation of pride, while only 3 (3%) subjects admitted to do it for work and 1 receives income from this activity by social media).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4270697/v1/92f91a870d8ebeee952e161f.png"},{"id":57708531,"identity":"15956e3a-5209-471d-bbc3-4145a142325b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-04 15:19:44","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":28396,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAwareness of ‘’Sharenting’’ and related risks\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePercentages related to the number of parents who are aware or not aware about the risks related to Sharenting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot Aware: a parent who does not know that (a) there are no laws regulating the exposure of minors online; (b) online contents can be violated by other subjects; (c) online contents could remain accessible virtually forever; (d) online contents can be seen and stolen by 'non-followers’. Aware a parent who knows all the above.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4270697/v1/80856d2494ca8ab8e6bae988.png"},{"id":57707587,"identity":"b8747391-1c48-418e-8bf7-ec09d0c4b4b6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-04 15:11:44","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":29628,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParent’s feeling after completing the questionnaire about the topic Sharenting.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePercentages of the compilers' final reactions to the questionnaire.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4270697/v1/b041e843b08ca929f9e3e7f9.png"},{"id":61793891,"identity":"5f1fc590-6d86-4ebc-a830-94efc696ba7b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-05 16:16:36","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":630504,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4270697/v1/e3e61eb5-d2ae-4098-bdd8-31cac56aad61.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Sharenting: risks and awareness when parents publish sensitive content of their children on online platforms","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe term \"sharenting,\" is the combination of \"sharing\" and \"parenting,\" and describes the increasingly popular habit of parents to share photos, videos, or other information regarding their children on their social profiles, through online platforms(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The social media most frequently used for this practice are Facebook (54%), Instagram (16%) and X (former Twitter) (12%)(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The risks and consequences of sharenting are varied in nature and complex to fully comprehend, as they also involve legal issues related to child image protection, data privacy and digital security.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA report by the Cybercrime Analysis Unit - UACI - of the Italian State Police, which deals with various types of online child abuse, cyberbullying and child pornography, shows that younger children, within the age of 10, are often lured into online platforms, linked to free online gaming apps, accessible through their parents' smartphones(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough often unintentional and unaware, this growing phenomenon can expose children to several risks, including identity theft, sexual exploitation, and future emotional distress related to sharing emotions and moods(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Sharing images, videos, and any kind of content featuring children means building a child's \"digital dossier\" without their consent and without their knowledge, that can be accessible in the future by employers or other unauthorized persons (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). Although the practice of sharenting through social media is considered to be relatively low-risk, as long as children are not identifiable, most parents continue to share information and images of their children without any precautions, often because of a false sense of security about the privacy settings declared by social media. However, as soon as images or videos are posted online, any effective control over them is lost, ownership of photos uploaded by parents to social media is lost and it is generally difficult to obtain their removal due to a substantial lack of legislation(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to a recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal and researchers of the Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Instagram's algorithms actively promote pedophile networks that commission and sell child pornography content from the popular Meta4 image-sharing app(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA recent survey of 427 people in Turkey found that 86.9 percent of participants said that the sharing of children's photos and videos on social media platforms by parents, relatives and caregivers can be assessed as child neglect and abuse(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The practice of \"sharenting\" is on the rise, especially in Western countries, and it is highly likely that many parents are posting content about their minor children online with little knowledge of the risks associated with this practice.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eWe realized a pilot cross-sectional study, based on an anonymous questionnaire with the aim to describe parents' use of social/online platforms and related posted content regarding their minor children and to investigate whether the publication of online material concerning children of the study participants is practiced consciously with awareness of the potential risks.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo investigate also whether variables such as age, gender, marital status, employment status, and educational level of parents influence the practice of sharenting. The questionnaire was administered through a link by framing a specially generated QR code using the Google forms application. A literature search was conducted, and the questionnaire form was prepared by the researchers based on a previous recently published survey(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). The survey was anonymous and was arranged in compliance with the Data Protection Authority. The average duration for completing the questionnaire was about 2 minutes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStatistics\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results obtained from the anonymous questionnaire were subjected to an initial analysis using the automatic statistical counting of Google forms, then qualitative variables were created on Excel sheets, and a second statistical analysis was carried out through the SPSS IBM Statistics program, using the parametric chi square test. Results with a p value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 were considered significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePopulation\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eParents (who have reached the age of majority) of underaged children (aged 0\u0026ndash;17 years, according to the Italian Legislation), who accessed the general outpatient clinic of Pediatrics at Policlinico Umberto I Hospital were enrolled in the study. Parents\u0026rsquo; awareness regarding to the Sharenting was defined by responses to specific questions (see Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e and Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e legends). Occupational status was defined as \u0026ldquo;Not employed or not fully employed\u0026rdquo; if unemployed, partially employed, or in parental leave. Educational level was defined as lower (primary and secondary school diploma, none) or higher (diploma, degree, PhD).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalysis of socio-cultural characteristics between parents who publish (G p) child content and parents who do not publish (G np)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eG p\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eG np\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTot (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ep value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePartial employment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90/170\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(53%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17/58 (29.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e107/228\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(46.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.002\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLower educational status*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21/170\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(12.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2/58\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(3.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23/228\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(14%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.05\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot aware**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e160/170\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(94.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53/58\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(91.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e213/228\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(93.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle parent\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28/170\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(16.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6/58\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(10.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34/228\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(14.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParent age\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;35y\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60/170\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(35.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10/58\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(17.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70/228\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(30.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.01\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChild age\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;3y\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65/170\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(38.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21/58\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(36.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86/228\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(37.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u0026deg; followers\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36/170\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(21.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1/58\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(1.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37/228\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(16.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eknowledge of the violated content of acquaintances\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e115/170\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(67.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42/58\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(72.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e157/228\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(69%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalysis of socio-cultural characteristics between parents who use online gaming apps (APP Yes) and parents who do not use gaming apps (APP No) to entertain their children\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAPP Yes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAPP No\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFull-time employment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42/91\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(46.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79/137\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(57.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLower educational status*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15/91\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(16.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8/137\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(5.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.009\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot aware**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89/91\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(98%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e124/137\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(90.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.03\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle parent\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15/91 (16.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19/137\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(14%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompiler age\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;35y\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23/91\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(25.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47/137\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(34.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChild age\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;8y\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49/91 (53.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40/137 (29.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eA total of 228 parents of children under 18 years of age were surveyed (82% mothers, 18% fathers). Of them, 31% were under 35 years of age and 69% were over 35 years of age, and 98% were European. Ninety-eight percent of the respondents used social media. Among parents using one or more social media, 75% posted content about their children online; 25% of them stated that they have never posted content about their children on social media. We found that, compared to parents who do not post photos of their children (Gnp), parents who post photos of their children (Gp), tended to have part-time employment (29.3% vs. 53%, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002), a lower level of education (3.4% vs 12.4%, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.05), an age younger than 35 (17.2% vs 35.3%, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.01), and a number fi followers greater than 500 on social platforms (1.7% vs 21.2%, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). We also found that the majority of parents who post children\u0026rsquo;s content (n 70, 31%) started within the first 6 months of life (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eA). A total of 100 interviewed (44%), state that postings occur less than once a month, while only 4% (n 9) state that they post content more than once a day (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eB) The most used social platforms for sharing content (photos and/or videos) about children are Whatsapp (63.3%), Facebook (46%) and Instagram (44.6%) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eA).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe most posted content are photos and/or videos of the child (74.4%), followed by photos and/or videos with parts of the body and face obscured (24%); thoughts and feelings are shared in 17% of cases. Location tagging is used in 28.2% of postings (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eB).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen asked about the reasons why sharing information about their children on social platforms, 41% of parents answered that they posted to \u0026ldquo;share everyday life\u0026rdquo;, 40% as a manifestation of pride, while only 3 (3%) subjects admitted to do it for work and 1 receives income from this activity by social media (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eC). Generally, the interaction with the \u0026ldquo;followers\u0026rdquo;, expressed by the simple \u0026ldquo;like\u0026rdquo;, consequent to the posting of children's photos and videos, generates satisfaction by the parent (82 interviewed (36%) stated that they feel \u0026ldquo;very satisfied\u0026rdquo;, 39 (17%) on average satisfied, 49 (21%) not very satisfied, and 58 (25%) not at all satisfied).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe then investigated the parent's level of awareness with respect to the issue of sharenting and the risks related to the exposure of minors on online platforms: we found that 93% of the respondents were not aware (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Given the risk also associated with the use of online gaming app, we asked parents whether or not they let the child use online gaming apps, 40% admitted that habit. The analysis showed that gaming apps are used more by parents who have a lower level of education (46.2% vs 57.7%, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.009), parents who are not aware of the risks related to the use of online platforms (98% vs 90.5%, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.03), and, finally, parents with children older than 8 years of age (53.8% vs 29.2%, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe questionnaire generated different reactions to the interviewed parents: 51% said they were interested and wanted to learn more about sharenting, 27% felt more anxious about the topic, 20% said they were indifferent, and 2% felt annoyed by the questions (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn the phenomenon of \u0026lsquo;\u0026rsquo;Sharenting\u0026rsquo;\u0026rsquo;, the main focus is related to the privacy and online exposure of the child.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs highlighted in this study, sharing contents children-related is fueled by the number of followers parents have on their social channels (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e), this result is in line with what has been shown in other studies (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e). Generally, the high number of followers correlates with greater activity on social channels, with more photos and videos posted, as such practice generates interactions which is linked to a sentiment of \u0026ldquo;satisfaction\u0026rdquo; and in some cases even material incomes including gifts, sponsorships and money.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOur study also found that sharenting is more frequent by parents with age\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;35 years and that content sharing begins in the first 6 months of the child's life (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eA); these observations suggest that sharenting is more frequently practiced in the early stages of parenthood, when parents, especially mothers, are more likely to feel isolated and lonely, as also highlighted in other studies in the literature (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e); however, our questionnaire did not investigate the psychological aspect of the phenomenon and further studies are necessary to confirm this hypothesis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmong the reasons why parents post their children's content, it emerged how the integration of social media into people's lives has generated the need to share personal events with the virtual community (one of the first reason for sharing), in addition to the pride felt by the parent towards her/his child (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eC).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs also demonstrated in a recent study (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e), parents under 35 feel the need to make their new parental status public and to prove that they are 'good parents'; in a time when our lives are deeply influenced by the technology and real identities overlap with digital identities, this need is satisfied by the sharing of their children's lives and habits on social networks; social fulfilment therefore seems to necessarily pass through social platforms.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe continuous online exposure of children entails several risks, including the violation of privacy and confidentiality, which is a children\u0026rsquo;s right, as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Adolescent and more recently in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParents are considered the 'custodians' or 'owners' of their children's personal data, including the use of such data(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e); however, the psychological repercussions in children when they discover later in life that they have been exposed on the online network without their explicit consent and knowledge can be severe. A recent survey published in the Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health found that children aged between 4 and 17, surveyed through the administration of an age-adapted questionnaire, expressed the wish to be questioned and listened to before their parents shared stories or images about them on social media(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). Finally, the most dramatic consequences of an uninformed use of children in social media are the risk of spreading content that can be used as material on pedophilia networks and the risk of luring through the use of online gaming apps(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn light of these alarming statements and of the increasing use of social media, measures need to be taken to protect children from the 'sharenting syndrome'.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe results of our study could draw the attention of pediatricians, healthcare assistants and preventive healthcare professionals to the increasing practice of parents and families of publishing sensitive content about their children on online platforms and to the serious related risks. Pediatricians, healthcare assistants and prevention professionals should play a central role in alerting parents and families to the risks of this practice.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFDP, MGC, FM, GLT conceived the study. \u0026nbsp;FDP, MGC, FMP, LP, EM, RN, LM, GDM, DPLR, FV acquire the data. FDP, MGC, FMP, LP, RN, EM drafted the manuscript. FDP, EB, MGC performed the data analysis. All authors have revised and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data are available upon reasonable request and with permission of Lazio region. Requests to access should be directed to corresponding author.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present study, in accordance with national legislation regarding observational studies, was notified to the local ethical committee Territorial Ethics Committee Lazio Area 1 and approved with the report n\u0026deg; 1002/2023 of the 13/12/2023. Informed written consent was obtained by participants before the enrollment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors have no conflict of interest to declare.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor details\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDepartment of Maternal Child and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFerrara P, Cammisa I, Corsello G, Giardino I, Vural M, Pop TL, et al. Online \u0026ldquo;Sharenting\u0026rdquo;: The Dangers of Posting Sensitive Information About Children on Social Media. Vol. 257, Journal of Pediatrics. Elsevier Inc.; 2023. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDentro i numeri la lotta alla pedofilia online della polizia di stato. 2023. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u0026rsquo;Horwitz J \u0026rsquo;Blunt, K. Instagram Connects Vast Pedophile Network. 2023 Jun 7; \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSarkadi A, Dahlberg A, F\u0026auml;ngstr\u0026ouml;m K, Warner G. Children want parents to ask for permission before \u0026lsquo;sharenting.\u0026rsquo; J Paediatr Child Health. 2020 Jun 1;56(6):981\u0026ndash;3. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGatto A, Corsello A, Ferrara P. Sharenting: hidden pitfalls of a new increasing trend\u0026ndash; suggestions on an appropriate use of social media. Vol. 50, Italian Journal of Pediatrics. BioMed Central Ltd; 2024. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDoğan Keskin A, Kaytez N, Damar M, Elibol F, Aral N. Sharenting Syndrome: An Appropriate Use of Social Media? Healthcare (Switzerland). 2023 May 1;11(10). \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrosch A. When the child is born into the internet: Sharenting as a growing trend among parents on Facebook. New Educational Review. 2016;43(1):225\u0026ndash;35. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrhan Kili\u0026ccedil; B, Kili\u0026ccedil; S, Konuksever D, Ulukol B. The relationship between mothers\u0026rsquo; Instagram follower count and the concept of sharenting. Pediatrics International. 2024 Jan 1;66(1). \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMascheroni G, Cino D, Amadori G, Zaffaroni LG. (Non-)Sharing as a Form of Maternal Care? The Ambiguous Meanings of Sharenting for Mothers of 0- To-8-Year-Old Children. Italian Sociological Review. 2023;13(1):111\u0026ndash;30. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKopecky K, Szotkowski R, Aznar-D\u0026iacute;az I, Romero-Rodr\u0026iacute;guez JM. The phenomenon of sharenting and its risks in the online environment. Experiences from Czech Republic and Spain. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2020 Mar 1;110. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"italian-journal-of-pediatrics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"itjp","sideBox":"Learn more about [Italian Journal of Pediatrics](http://ijponline.biomedcentral.com)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ITJP/default.aspx","title":"Italian Journal of Pediatrics","twitterHandle":"@BioMedCentral","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Sharenting, social media, children privacy","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4270697/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4270697/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBackground\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe term \"sharenting\u0026rsquo;' describes the increasingly popular habit of parents to share photos, videos, or other information regarding their children on their social profiles, through online platforms. It is highly likely that many parents are posting content about their underage children online with little knowledge of the risks associated with this practice. This study aims to investigate whether variables such as parents\u0026rsquo; age, gender, marital status, occupation and educational level influence the practice of sharing child-related content and the degree of awareness.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMethods\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe performed a pilot cross-sectional study, based on an anonymous questionnaire. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to parents of underage children attending the pediatric outpatient clinic of the Umberto I Hospital, Sapienza University, in Rome, by researchers, through the google forms platform; qualitative variables were generated on excel sheets and a statistical analysis was performed on SPSS Ibm-statistics using the chi-square test.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eResults\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e228 parents of children under 18 years of age completed the questionnaire (82% mothers, 18% fathers); 98% of the respondents used social media and 75% of them published their children\u0026rsquo;s related content online. Thirty-one percent of the compilers started their practice of sharenting in the first 6 months of life of their child. Our analysis showed that compared to parents who do not post online, parents who usually post online their children are significantly more likely to be partial employees or unemployed (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0,002), with lower educational level (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0,05), younger (less than 35 years of age (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0,01)) and have a high number of followers (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0,001). Finally, 93% of the compilers were not aware of the current legislation and of the risks related to the practice of sharenting.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusions\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePediatricians, healthcare assistants and preventive healthcare professionals should play a central role in alerting parents and families to the risks of sharenting; the results of our study could draw their attention to the increasing practice of sharenting and make healthcare professionals active part in the protection of children.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Sharenting: risks and awareness when parents publish sensitive content of their children on online platforms","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-06-04 15:11:39","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4270697/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Major revision","date":"2024-06-03T02:31:37+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2024-05-18T04:09:17+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-05-17T11:46:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-05-15T00:01:40+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Italian Journal of Pediatrics","date":"2024-04-15T11:28:45+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"italian-journal-of-pediatrics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"itjp","sideBox":"Learn more about [Italian Journal of Pediatrics](http://ijponline.biomedcentral.com)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ITJP/default.aspx","title":"Italian Journal of Pediatrics","twitterHandle":"@BioMedCentral","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b63b53d3-2b25-4cf5-acfb-34d9ee9fd5eb","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 4th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-08-05T16:09:15+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4270697","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-024-01704-y","journal":{"identity":"italian-journal-of-pediatrics","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Italian Journal of Pediatrics"},"publishedOn":"2024-07-30 15:57:27","publishedOnDateReadable":"July 30th, 2024"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-06-04 15:11:39","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s13052-024-01704-y","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-024-01704-y","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4270697","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4270697","identity":"rs-4270697","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}