Oversharing on social media: what should parents know?

What is Oversharing on Social Media?

It’s fun to be on social media. From Instagram to Facebook, Snapchat to Twitter, we pretty much spend a lot of time on different platforms. One of the ways to grow your followership on these platforms is to share content.

While sharing content and experiences, is there a point where you overshare? If that point exists, what then is oversharing on social media? Oversharing is providing excess personal information to your followers on social media.

It is important to remember that more than 90% of your followers aren’t people you know in real life. There are certain boundaries you shouldn’t cross and certain pieces of information you shouldn’t share. Here are some examples of social media oversharing:

a. Posting videos or photos of private family events or gatherings.

b. Sharing pictures of meals.

c. Posting details about romantic relationships, family matters, personal drama, or friendships.

d. Venting every emotion via social media.

e. Posting nude or embarrassing videos or pictures about yourself or other close individuals.

f. Showing your “Check-In” status or location.

g. Sharing excess photos, videos, or information about your children.

What are the reasons for oversharing? There are quite a few reasons, but the most prominent include:

a. Excessive use of social media.

b. Encouragement from followers.

c. Venting stress and emotions.

d. As a means of letting out frustrations.

e. Seeking attention.

What are the risks of kids posting too much information on social media?

No doubt, social media is great and has several benefits, even to kids and teens. But the question is this, what risks does oversharing on social media pose to your kids?

Many kids and teenagers have access to smartphones and spend hours on social media daily. Reports show that there are so many negative effects of this on the emotional well-being of these kids. In this section, we will discuss the risks that kids expose themselves to when they post excessively on social media.

Personal health risks

Many teenagers have confessed to checking notifications or texting as they drive. This is already a challenge considering the number of accidents that occur from both actions.

Recently, there have also been different challenges on social media, most of which can result in injury. Many of these challenges involve taking unhealthy risks like setting oneself on fire over inflammable liquid. Kids want to try these out just so that they could show their followers, hurting themselves in the process.

Cyberbullying

It is no secret that cyberbullying has become a thing, even for adults. Many students skip school just because they are victims of this crime. Cyberbullying results in depression and even suicide.

This is one of the reasons why parents must be careful about how much time their kids spend on social media. It is also important to regularly speak to your kids to be sure that they are not cyberbullied.

Exposure to strangers

Like we stated above, more than 90% of our followers on social media aren’t personal friends or acquaintances. Not everyone is who they claim to be online. Posting on social media exposes your kids to all kinds of strangers. From hackers to identity thieves, scammers to sexual predators.

Such individuals come in disguise and could trick your unsuspecting kids. As such, kids shouldn’t post personal details or open up to strangers online.

Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideations

We have already told you how cyberbullying could lead to depression and suicidal thoughts. Well, it isn’t just cyberbullying that is the problem here. The image below shows some of the dangerous risks your kids can be exposed to on social media.

These are just a few of the risks that your kids are exposed to when they post too much information online. How about when parents post too much information about their kids?

What are the risks of parents oversharing kids on social media?

Sometimes, it is not the kids that post too much information online, it is the parents. There are several risks that kids are exposed to from their parents oversharing on social media. Asides the fact that some kids may get embarrassed with certain content, the kids are also exposed to danger.

What kind of danger are kids exposed to from their parents’ actions on social media?

Exposure to bullying

When posting content about your kids on social media, you should also be wary about the effects. There are so many bullies online who wouldn’t bully you alone, but your kids. These videos or photos may not have an effect immediately but will come back to bite your kids.

Imagine posting an embarrassing picture of your child online. Soon, many people will insult or make fun of that kid. Bullying occurs in different ways and you should protect your kids as much as you can.

Digital kidnapping

This is also known as identity theft and it has become rampant these days. People pick up pictures of kids from social media, repurpose the pictures, and use them for different purposes. It is not uncommon to see children’s photos kidnapped online to be used in baby role-playing.

Attracting Dangerous individuals

Sometimes when parents post videos or pictures of their kids innocently on social media, dangerous individuals pick them up. As a result, some of these content end up on different disturbing fora and websites. You sure don’t want your kid’s pictures on a child pornography website.

Signs of Oversharing on Social Media

Many parents ask the question, “How do I know I am oversharing on social media?” We have put together a few signs to watch out for in this section.

Posting over four times daily

Once you begin to post over four times daily, then you are oversharing. It is one of the signs that you are becoming addicted to social media. This can affect several aspects of your life, including your kids.

Feeling sad that posts don’t gather many likes

We all feel good when our posts gather lots of likes. However, when you begin to feel sad that people don’t engage your posts enough, then it’s a sign of oversharing. You shouldn’t place your self-worth on how people react to your posts.

Uploading by the hour on vacations

It is important to document vacations, especially those spent with family, using pictures and videos. But the question is this, do you need to share all the content with your social media followers? When you can’t seem to stop yourself from sharing these videos and photos online, it’s a sign of oversharing.

Followers have stopped reacting to your posts like they used to

Once you notice this, it is mostly because you are becoming an online pest. People are beginning to get tired or annoyed at seeing too many posts a day from you. Some of them may even unfriend or mute your notifications.

How can FamiSafe curb oversharing on social media?

One of the best ways to curb oversharing on social media is to make use of third-party apps. FamiSafe is one such app and it gives the parent control over social media apps that their kids use.

Conclusion

Oversharing on social media is dangerous to both kids and their parents. We have shown you the causes and signs of oversharing. Finally, we prescribed the use of the FamiSafe app as a tool to help parents curb social media oversharing.