There are a lot of parents guilty of “oversharenting” and apparently, their children simply do not approve of it. As a matter of fact, many moms and dads are facing backlash from their own children for posting their personal and family photos on social media.
While there’s no doubt that a lot of parents love sharing their children’s accomplishments and milestones and social media, some kids are simply over it, including many tweens and teens who don’t want their moms and dads documenting every little thing they do on Facebook and Instagram. Not only are some complaining that their parents are “oversharenting” but that they are also posting photos of their kids without their consent.
According to Good Morning America, one 14-year-old by the name of Lillian Durben from Silverlake, Washington is one of those kids who simply does not appreciate having her mom constantly share photos and details about her life on social media. Her mother Kate said that while she knew her daughter wouldn’t want her to share certain pictures, she simply couldn’t resist and posted them anyway.
Kate told the morning show, “I justified it by saying, 'It's fine, it's a cute picture. Why wouldn't she want me to share it?’ She looked cute … but that isn't the issue, is it?"
Lillian, however, said that it wasn’t the photo that was the problem. It was the fact that her mother decided to post the photo anyway, despite her disapproval. Thankfully, Kate has since pulled the photos down from her Facebook account.
Kate isn’t the only mother who has landed herself in hot water because of her oversharenting. Hollywood star and celebrity mom Gwyneth Paltrow was publicly called out by her own teenage daughter Apple after she shared a photo of her on Instagram. In the pic, Gwyneth and Apple Martin are posing for a selfie during what looks like a family ski vacation. And while the Oscar-winning actress might have thought that the photo was cute enough to share with the world, Apple didn’t think so.
"Mom, we have discussed this," Apple wrote in the comment section. "You may not post anything without my consent."
Many child and adolescent psychologists suggest that parents do get their children’s consent before posting photos, especially if they are old enough to care. It’s the new parental-child relationship in the realm of social media that many parents will simply learn how to navigate. Psychologists further point out that posting family photos might shut down the dialogue between a parent and a child and worse, create new trust issues.