Careless sharing

Emily is thrilled with her new job. At the age of 26, she has been made head of research at one of the world's biggest tech companies. "Maybe I'll just see how it's being reported," she thinks. She Googles herself - and gasps: the first photo to come up shows her at her fourth birthday party with chocolate cake smeared all over her face. "Thanks for nothing, Mum," she groans.

This kind of scene could become all too common in the future. In France, politicians are so worried about sharenting that they are discussing a billA printed or written statement of the money owed for goods or services. Can also mean a draft of a suggested new law presented to lawmakers for discussion. to control it.

A survey¹ found that over 50% of French parents have posted pictures of their children - and almost all of them did it before the child turned five. The new law would make parents responsible for their children's privacy online and punish ones who use them to make money.

The MPMember of Parliament. There are 650 MPs representing people in different areas of the UK. who introduced the bill, Bruno Studer, highlights the danger of these pictures ending up on sex-abuse sites. Australian police found that half the photos on a particularly dangerous site had been taken from social media. Although the images themselves were innocent, the comments made on them were not.

Lawyers have warned that in later life children could sue their parents for jeopardisingPutting in danger. their safety. Under French law, that could mean a year in prison or a fine of £120,000.

Other worries include fraud and identity theft. "From a parent's social media, third parties can figure out a child's name, date of birth, where they live," explains Stacey Steinberg, a law professor at Florida University. Barclays Bank has estimated that details shared by parents could result in £670m worth of fraud by 2030.

For today's teenagers - the first generation to have their lives shared in this way - this is a growing issue. A survey by Microsoft found that 42% were distressed by the sharenting they had experienced, and 11% felt that it was a big problem in their lives.

Gwyneth PaltrowAn American actress and businesswoman, known today for her lifestyle brand. 's daughter Apple publicly protested when her mother posted a picture of the two of them on Instagram. "Mom we have discussed this," she wrote. "You may not post anything without my consent."

But many parents do not think about the problems. And for some sharenting is big business, since they get paid to feature children's clothes and other products in their posts.

One YouTuber, Myka Stauffer, attracted over 700,000 followers and sponsorship from companies including Fabletics and Good American with posts about her family.

Her following doubled when she gave a blow-by-blow account of adopting a young Chinese boy. But there was a huge backlash when she and her husband decided they could not cope with his behaviour and gave him up to be adopted again.

One young social media star, though, says sharenting has been a "positive thing" in his life. David Devore became an internet sensation at seven when his father uploaded a video of him after a visit to the dentist. He travelled the world to appear on TV shows and was paid over £80,000.

Yes: It is completely unfair on children to post about them without their consent. Even if it does not put them in danger from criminals, the chances are that it will embarrass them later in life.

No: The posts give huge pleasure to family and friends. They can also earn money to help with the child's education, and win sponsorship from travel companies to holiday in interesting places.

Or... Anyone sharenting should receive an automatic message from the social media company warning them of the risks. There should also be a law ensuring that any money earned goes to the child.