SHARENTING: KRIZA RODITELJSKE ODGOVORNOSTI I PRAVA DJETETA U DIGITALNOM DOBU
SHARENTING: THE CRISIS OF PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Summary/Abstract: The consequences of online ubiquity are already demonstrating a significant negative impact on human privacy, which is now justifiably considered a concept fading into oblivion. It leaves the individual with merely an illusion of possessing privacy, while in essence, it no longer exists. A legally competent person, as a subject of law, has every right to independently decide about the content they share about themselves online. However, the issue becomes considerably more complex when it concerns children. At an unprecedented pace of social development for humans and families, we have transitioned from parents completely prohibiting their child’s internet use or imposing heavily restricted access, to a moment where parents themselves now freely and voluntarily share data, images, and any other personal information about their child’s life online. Thus, online ubiquity remains a personal choice for many, but for the child, it is a new and widely accepted reality. By disclosing even the smallest details of their life online, the parent creates the child’s virtual identity against their will. In doing so, the parent, by exercising parental authority, exposes the child to all forms of online misuse and violates their fundamental right to privacy—which in the modern era is intertwined with the right to be forgotten. The necessity of re-examining parental rights and responsibilities is becoming increasingly evident due to negative social phenomena such as sharenting. A clear boundary must be established between the parent’s right to freely make decisions about the child’s life and the point where that freedom becomes a danger leading to the violation of the child’s rights. Given the sensitivity and protection required for family and private life, it is clear that this issue demands a multi-layered approach, a restructuring of prevailing viewpoints, and ultimately, a paradigm shift regarding parental rights.

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