Social media phenomenon Atakan Özyurt's wife, Selen Özyurt, shared images of the moments when she gave birth in water, creating controversy. The couple's posts brought the concept of "sharenting", which describes parents sharing their children's special moments on digital media and means "sharing parenting", back to the agenda.
According to the research conducted by the cyber security company AVG Technologies regarding "shared parenting", which is a major debate in the world, the digital footprint of 23 percent of babies begins before they are born, when their parents share their ultrasound images on the internet.
56 percent share
In Turkey, according to the research of Fatma Yılmaz Kurt and Tanju Oğul from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, 56.6 percent of parents share their children's content on social media.
Identity theft is happening
However, experts point out that such sharing moves away from collecting memories and directly violates the child's most intimate boundaries. The most special moments of children, whose bodies, first steps, illnesses, crying crises or most vulnerable states are uploaded to the internet from the moment of birth, are opened to the comment of millions of strangers.
In addition to psychological risks, this situation also threatens the future safety of children. According to analysis by Barclays, a UK-based international banking and cybersecurity organization, 7.4 million cases of online identity fraud are expected to occur by 2030. According to experts, when children start earning money, fraudsters will be able to find their names, dates of birth and addresses and steal their identities more easily.
'He may feel angry at the family'
Experts' comments on the subject of 'shared parenting' are as follows:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Assoc. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş: If she finds content shared by her parent in the past embarrassing or private, she may experience anger, disappointment and hurt towards her parent. This situation may become more evident especially during adolescence. For the child, this means not receiving his/her opinion and approval on a matter that belongs to him/her, and this may cause him/her to develop beliefs that "I am not safe and I am not in control" in his/her relationship with his/her parent. In particular, sharing moments when the child cries, has difficulty or is embarrassed (private moments, health information and intimate images) may create more intense anger and disappointment.
'It affects your future'
Expert Psychologist Uğur Kartum: Children are not yet mature enough to make decisions about their own digital privacy. Unauthorized sharing may lead to impaired perception of privacy, loss of control, embarrassment, anxiety and self-confidence problems in later ages. Additionally, the child may feel that he or she has been deprived of the right to have a say in his/her own identity and image. Not every beautiful moment of our children has to be shared on social media. Parenting is not just about making memories for our children, but also about protecting their privacy and future digital rights.
'He has legal responsibility'
Lawyer Kardelen Yarli: When it comes to sharing children's photos and videos on social media, the best interest of the child must be taken as the primary basis. The fact that parents have the right to custody does not mean that they can intervene in their children's private life unlimitedly. Children, like adults, have the right to privacy, the protection of their personal data and the right to have a say over their own images. In particular, posts that humiliate the child, violate their privacy, or endanger their safety may result in legal liability. Depending on the nature of the concrete incident, this situation may constitute a violation of personal rights or a crime.
The real issue here is not whether the person sharing the child's photo is the mother or father, but whether the sharing violates the child's rights. Children are individuals with their own rights, not part of their parents' social media accounts.
