Ever posted pictures of your sweet baby in the bath or moaned on social media about your impossible teenager taking the car for a joyride? Sharenting’s not necessarily caring – and it could land you in trouble.

If you wouldn’t put it up on a billboard on the N1 or M3, don’t put it up on social media. That’s the message to consumers of social media from Taryn Hinton, legal adviser and co-ordinator of Media Monitoring Africa’s Reporting on Children in the Media course.

“People seem to think there’s a different set of rules that apply online. If you defame someone online, it’s the same as in print but you are more likely to reach a far broader audience on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. There’s no such thing as anonymity – you’re always able to be tracked. Once it’s out there, it’s been seen and it can be shared, reposted or screen-grabbed.”

Article by: Georgina Crouth, “You are responsible for what you publish on social media“, IOL News, 6 November 2017.