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Are we guilty of 'Sharenting'? The mistakes we make when we share too much online

Educator Leah Plunkett, author of "Sharenthood: Why We Should Think before We Talk about Our Kids Online" speaks at Town Hall Seattle tonight.

SEATTLE — Educator and Law Professor Leah Plunkett examines the implications of adults' excessive digital sharing of children's data in her new book, "Sharenthood: Why We Should Think before We Talk about Our Kids Online."

Sharenting refers to all of the ways we transmit children's private information digitally.

In plain speak, Plunkett defines Sharenting as, "How we grown-ups share all the things about our kids using all our tech things."

"We're not always thinking about the privacy harms as well as the risks to kids current and future opportunities," Plunkett said. "Every time something goes digital you lose control over who might see it."

Plunkett said it's important to be aware of what you're posting and the reality that companies expansive privacy laws mean most data stays online, forever.

"There's a risk of criminal, illegal, or dangerous activities being perpetrated against your child as a result of sharenting," Plunkett said.

Plunkett said that while we like to share things about our children and see other people's lives, posting private or sensitive information can often hurt kids later on in life.

"We should care because even aside from the really scary criminal and illegal threats to our kids from sharenting, we are shaping the narrative of our kids identities," Plunkett said.

Luckily, parents can make an effort to minimize the spread of images already on the web, including going low tech or no tech and taking a common-sense approach when posting information that might be revealing.

"It is never too late to go back through and remove images, tighten up those privacy settings, you're not going to get away from things that are already out there," Plunkett said.

ABOUT THE BOOK: "In 'Sharenthood', Leah outlines the mistakes adults make with kids' private information, the risks that result, and the legal system that enables sharenting. Plunkett cautions parents, teachers, and other trusted adults against unwittingly compiling digital dossiers for children that could be available to everyone—friends, employers, law enforcement—forever. She outlines the mistakes adults make with kids’ private information, the risks that result, and the legal system that enables “sharenting.” Plunkett unpacks the faulty assumptions made by our legal system about children, parents, and privacy. Join Plunkett for a discussion of why we should think before we share our kids’ data—the internet, she says, needs to forget." Leah Plunkett.

Segment Producer Suzie Wiley. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.comContact New Day.

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