The latest Internet trend is a perfect example of the duplicity of parents and grandparents in the face of the uncontrollable domination of technology. It's called sharenting ((An Anglo-Saxon term that combines the words "share" (meaning "to share") and "parent"), and it involves the constant sharing of photos, videos, and details of their children on social media by parents and grandparents. Children are treated like mini-models and are encouraged to take care of every detail of their photos, which are then posted: the position, the framing, the color and visibility of the images, the background. Everything has to fit, in a system where only the importance of the self matters, never that of the other, a perfect training ground for narcissism. Any occasion is a good one: a birthday party, a first communion, an evening with friends, a family vacation. And then comes a deluge of photos of children and grandchildren, posed at any age, even two years old.
Psychologists, psychotherapists, educators, sociologists, all vent their anger to recommend parents not to slip into the quicksand of sharentig. But these are empty words: this trend affects three out of four parents. This high percentage of adults indifferent to such a distorted and compulsive use of technology highlights their fundamental contradiction. On the one hand, they equip and cultivate, with meticulous attention to every detail, the family-style narcissism gym; on the other, however, they are quick to complain to their children and grandchildren because they spend too much time glued to their smartphones. Where is the coherence in this parallel education? What remains of the ancestral wisdom of the parent called to set a good example?
Yet there is no need for an expert in child psychology or a shrink on duty to line up the poisons of sharentig.
- Privacy of minors: children cannot give informed consent to the dissemination of their image. In this sense they are victims of choices that only their parents make, with their selfie mania.
- Fingerprint: what is published can remain online for a long time and influence the child's future.
- Safety: some information or images can be used improperly. In practice, a very intimate piece of a child's life is taken and disclosed without their knowledge or ability to give their reasoned and informed consent.
- Identity and reputation: the child may not like as an adult what has been shared about him.
- Children They are encouraged to grow up in a virtual rather than real dimension, while at their age they begin to develop an awareness of how important human relationships, physical ones, are.
- Narcissism: Growing up as actors in the making, Children accumulate massive doses of narcissism, imagining themselves to be the center of their own and others' lives.
The phenomenon of sharenting It's all the more embarrassing considering that, according to a recent Demopolis survey, parents' top concern for their children is internet addiction, which scares 84 percent of parents. Only after that are violence (71 percent), bullying (66 percent), alcohol and drug use (58 percent), and academic failure (53 percent).
Yet, to contain the collective mania, it would be enough to adopt some simple countermeasures: Ask yourself a few questions before publishing any images and posts:
- Could the child feel uncomfortable in the future?
- am I sharing for him or for me?
- Does this content expose unnecessary personal details?
Another useful rule is to avoid content:
- humiliating or very emotional;
- related to health, school, punishments;
- that show nudity or intimate moments.
Again: limit the spread. Thus:
Many problems arise from uncontrolled spread.
- use private accounts;
- share only with small circles;
- avoid public reposts;
- turn off geolocation.
And never post:
It is advisable not to publish:
- full name;
- school attended;
- addresses;
- daily routines;
- school uniform or easily recognizable places.
Do these things seem difficult to you? Or are they simply reasonable?
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