Research shows that by 2030, almost two-thirds of identity fraud cases involving young people will come from something parents are doing right now - oversharing their childrens' details online.
This is often called sharenting.
Studies, including reports from Barclays Bank and Northumbria University, warn that the personal information parents post today - names, birthdays, locations, and thousands of photos - will fuel millions of cases of identity theft in the future.
Barclays projects that oversharing could contribute to 7.4 million identity theft cases every year by 2030. By the time many children reach 13, their parents have already shared over 1,300 photos of them online - usually without asking permission.
This kind of data makes it much easier for fraudsters to build fake profiles, abuse facial recognition systems, or even create synthetic identities (mixing real and fake details to commit fraud).
Why Oversharing is Risky
When parents share too much online, they’re putting their children at risk of:
- Identity theft and synthetic identity fraud
- Digital kidnapping (stolen photos being reused elsewhere)
- Having their images or details misused for scams or exploitation
- Future embarrassment or harm to their online reputation
- Developing unhealthy digital habits around privacy and self-image
Recent studies even show that 96% of child identity theft cases are linked to social media use, making this problem hard to ignore.
What Parents Can Do
The good news? Parents can take steps now to lower the risks:
- Lock down privacy settings on social media
- Avoid sharing sensitive info like full names, schools, or birthdays
- Think before posting - will this embarrass or harm my child later?
- Learn more about digital privacy and how identity fraud works
Bottom Line
The evidence is clear: sharenting is becoming one of the biggest drivers of child identity fraud. By 2030, it could account for two-thirds of all youth identity theft cases. Parents need to rethink what they post today - because those “cute” updates could expose children to very real threats tomorrow.