That cute photo you posted last week? It said more than you think.

Most of us have shared our children’s lives online without a second thought. A proud first-day-of-school photo, every detail of a birthday party, a funny moment that was too good to keep to ourselves.

It comes from a good place. Connection. Joy. The desire to let people who love your child celebrate alongside you. Some families have already started protecting their children’s images online, but they’re still the exception.

What if that impulse, that completely understandable impulse, is creating a risk most families have never considered?

By age 13, the average child has over 1,300 photos posted online by their parents. According to Barclays, sharenting could account for two-thirds of identity fraud facing young people by 2030.

Let that sit for a moment.

The Front Door Is Locked

For decades, parents believed danger was everywhere. That pressure hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s intensified and shifted. The same protective instinct that once kept kids from playing outside unsupervised now drives parents to delay smartphones, limit gaming, and restrict social media access. 

Movements like Wait Until 8th have gained massive followings. The front door, so to speak, is locked, bolted, and triple-checked.

But while everyone focuses on that front door, the back one stays open.

The Back Door is Open

The back door is every photo, detail, and celebration shared publicly about a child. A full name. A school. A birthday. A daily routine. A face.

Information no one would hand a stranger at the grocery store, posted where anyone can see it. Shared without a child’s consent, about a life that isn’t ours to narrate publicly.

And it’s not just parents. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends share too, often without realizing the risk. 

As a grandma, I understand that pull more than most. My granddaughter is brilliant and beautiful. Of course I want to show her off. But I don’t share her name online. I don’t include identifying details. And I always ask my son and daughter-in-law’s permission first.

Do I wish I could share more? Of course. But sharing with intention is just another way to love them.

Why This Matters

Most parents don’t realize sharenting risks, like identity fraud, unwanted digital footprints, and deep fake misuse, come from common posts about birthdays, school, and routines.

Those risks don’t stay abstract. They show up in very real, very ordinary ways. Here are a few examples: 

• Build false familiarity. A stranger can show up in a gaming chat or social media message already knowing your child’s favorite sport, their best friend’s name, and what makes them feel insecure.
• Steal a child’s identity. A name and birthdate are enough to open a line of credit that goes undetected for years, often until a child applies for their first job or student loan.
• Feed AI systems. Every image shared publicly becomes raw material for deepfakes, voice cloning, and synthetic content generated from ordinary family photos.

None of these outcomes require a hacker or a data breach. They just require information that’s shared freely.

When we talk about digital footprints, we usually mean the ones our children create. But there’s another one most families haven’t considered. The one being created for them.

This is one topic I’m exploring in depth in my upcoming book, Futureproof Parenting: Raising Resilient Kids in a Rapid World. If it resonates with you, follow along as I develop more of these conversations in real time.

What You Can Do Today

That’s a lot to take in. But here’s the good news: you can change this starting today.

Pause before posting. Ask yourself: would I share this information with someone I’ve never met? If not, reconsider sharing it publicly.

Audit what’s already out there. Look for posts that include school names, locations, full names, birthdates, or routines. Remove or restrict access where you can.

Talk to extended family. This is a hard conversation, but a necessary one. One family member with a public account can undo all the precautions you’ve taken.

Involve your kids. For older children, have honest conversations about what you’ve shared and what they’re comfortable with from now on. This teaches consent and builds trust. Younger children may want everything shared because they can’t yet understand the consequences, which is exactly why this is our responsibility until they can.

Choose private alternatives. Family group chats, password-protected albums, or even printed photo books keep loved ones connected without public broadcasting.

The front door matters. But so does the back one.

Start by noticing. That’s enough for today.