Online sharenting: Identifying existing vulnerabilities and demystifying media reported crime risks

Abstract

Sharenting – the digital sharing of sensitive information of minors by parents or guardians – has not yet been investigated from a criminological perspective. However, there are reported concerns regarding its criminogenic potential amidst fast-growing media interest in sharenting practices, particularly in relation to the perceived crime risks. This article offers an exploratory analysis of cases where such practices led to the victimisation of minors, evidencing the gap between media reports about crime risks and actual victimisation. The paper also demonstrates that sharenting is a more complex phenomenon than generally recognised. By exploring these issues, the paper advances criminological understanding of the practice and demonstrates the divergences between media-reported crime risks and victimisation associated with sharenting. Although the paper highlights media exaggerations of such crime victimisation which can heighten public fear and anxiety, the article also provides new insights on the nature of actual victimisation, to raise awareness and aid preventative intervention.