‘Only people we’re friends with can see the posts’: exploring parental awareness of the systemic complexities and cybersecurity risks of sharing child-centric data on social media
Authors: Ugwudike, P., Roth, S., Lavorgna, A., Djohari, N.
Journal: Journal of Cybersecurity
Publication Date: 01/01/2026
Volume: 12
Issue: 1
eISSN: 2057-2093
DOI: 10.1093/cybsec/tyag023
Abstract:Studies exploring cybersecurity risks on social media platforms (also known as online social networking sites—SNSs) often overlook those associated with parental disclosures of chid-centric information. Now increasingly described as ‘sharenting’, this practice involves sharing children’s sensitive details. Drawing on interviews with 30 parents based in the UK and inspired by a sociotechnical framework, this paper explores parental cyber awareness. The article examines their knowledge of how properties of SNSs can bypass their cybersecurity measures and foment security vulnerabilities. The features in question form part of the digital architecture driving the sites’ functionality. Beyond technological mediation, the properties invite and encourage both user engagement and content creation. Some are visible such as ‘tag’ and ‘share’ features operationalized by embedded technologies. Others are less visible content filtering and distribution algorithms. Findings revealed limited parental understanding of the risks posed by these properties. Privacy policies published by SNSs should provide relevant information but were deemed inaccessible. The paper situates these findings within systemic dynamics. It demonstrates how corporate priorities could be fuelling intersections of policy opacity and deficits in parental cyber awareness. Cybersecurity implications are discussed. In its conclusion, the paper proffers a sociotechnical approach to enhancing cyber awareness on SNSs. Insights from this work can inform cybersecurity policy, practice, and future research.
Source: Scopus