Growing online

Background

Digital technologies have become an integral part of children’s daily lives, regardless of cultural or geographical context. This is often due to parents who frequently share information about their children online. Today, social media can be considered a “modern baby album,” where parents showcase photos of their children to present themselves as good parents – raising adorable babies, demonstrating a sense of humor, and highlighting milestones achieved – all indicators of family health and happiness. Very often, children are unaware that, thanks to their parents, they have become celebrities on social media.

This parental behavior, known as sharenting, is becoming increasingly common worldwide and poses several risks to children, including:

Loss of privacy – children have no control over what information is shared about them online, and this digital footprint can be difficult to manage later in life.

Identity theft – personal information can be exploited for identity fraud, compromising children’s security.

Exploitation – images and data may be used for commercial purposes without consent.

Cyberbullying and harassment – shared content can expose children to online abuse.

Project goals

The main goal of GUARDIAN is to examine the scope and dimensions of sharenting in Europe and East Africa, with the aim of providing guidance and recommendations on measures needed to respect and protect children’s rights in the digital environment.

The project will not only provide a comprehensive evaluation of the sharenting phenomenon but also promote children’s rights and raise public awareness about the risks and challenges they face in the digital environment.

In addition to research activities, the project aims to facilitate knowledge transfer among participants. Engagement in training sessions, workshops, and collaborative research will help participants acquire new skills and enhance their professional qualifications. They will exchange knowledge on cultural diversity, data collection and analysis, and modern research methodologies. Furthermore, participants will develop communication and analytical skills, strengthen knowledge management capabilities, gain teamwork experience, and deepen their understanding of the ethical dimensions of research.