Kids Are Not Content: Exploring the State of Sharenting with Sarah Adams

Modern Mom Probs

Did the TikTok “Egg Crack Challenge” make you cringe? Us too.

This week, Sarah Adams, creator of the popular social media account, Mom Uncharted, joined the show to shed light on child exploitation on social media.

Sarah's journey began in late 2017 when she became a mother and started following mommy influencers for guidance and support. However, during the pandemic, she noticed an unsettling trend of parents oversharing their children's lives online. This led her to delve deeper into the subject, sparking conversations with her husband, reading books, and eventually starting her own TikTok account to discuss child exploitation and minor safety online.

In this enlightening and thought-provoking conversation, Sarah emphasized the importance of trust and privacy when it comes to sharing information and images of children online. She raised concerns about the development of parasocial relationships with other people's children and the need for parents to be more cautious about who they trust with intimate information and personal pictures of their kids. This resonated with Tara, making her reevaluate her own approach to sharing her son's life on social media.

Sarah discussed a concerning trend where some parents are selling exclusive content of their influencer children, without considering the potential risks and consequences of who may be subscribing to it.

The conversation shifted to the topic of family vloggers, discussing the recent case of Ruby Franke from the YouTube channel “Eight Passengers.” This case highlighted the lack of regulations and protections for children involved in this industry, raising questions about privacy and the potential for abuse.

This discussion was a stark reminder of the importance of protecting children's privacy in the digital age and the potential impact on children's mental health as they grow up and become aware of their online presence.

Links:

https://www.momuncharted.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted

https://www.youtube.com/@mom_uncharted

https://www.instagram.com/mom.uncharted

https://blog.feedspot.com/mom_podcasts/

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