REPRESENTATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN AND PRESCHOOLERS ON THEIR PARENTS’ INSTAGRAM PROFILES

Abstract

The quality of growing up nowadays has been significantly determined by the emergence of new, virtual spaces which provide sharing information and socializing. The use of virtual social networks is determined by the minimum age of the user. Nevertheless, this does not mean that even very young children are protected from participation. Young children and preschoolers appear in photos on their parents’ Instagram profiles. Therefore, the aim of this research was to establish the respect of children’s rights to privacy regarding this phenomenon, and to identify the way in which parents perceive their children. Quantitative and qualitative methods and content analysis of children’s photos and videos on ten public parental profiles in Croatia revealed a noticeable frequency of sharing information about one’s own children, a frivolous understanding of the responsibility towards representation of children’s rights and non-respect of children’s right to privacy. The creation of a child’s digital identity without the child’s consent can be correlated with the still-present traditional perception of children.