DIGITAL VULNERABILITY AND INTRA-FAMILIAL PRIVACY GOVERNANCE: EXPLORING PARENTAL ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND PRIVACY NEGOTIATIONS IN PAKISTANI SHARENTING

Abstract

The practice of sharing children's photos and private information online is known as "sharenting," and this study investigates how Pakistani parents view and handle these ethical and privacy issues. Twelve in-depth interviews with socially engaged Pakistani parents of young children were subjected to a thematic analysis in NVivo 15 using an interpretive qualitative method. The results demonstrate that parents use sharenting primarily to celebrate milestones, preserve memories, uphold family ties, and obtain social validation; however, privacy and child safety concerns influence their choices. Image abuse, AI-based manipulation, identity theft, digital kidnapping, regular tracking, unfavorable online interactions, and long-term digital footprint risks were all noted by participants. What parents share and with whom is also influenced by cultural and religious values, such as modesty (haya), fear of the evil eye (Nazar), and family honor (izzat). In response, parents use private WhatsApp groups, audience restrictions, face masking, location avoidance, privacy settings, and increasing their children's participation in consent as they get older. However, families are primarily dependent on self-regulation due to a lack of knowledge about children's digital rights and perceived weaknesses in Pakistan's institutional and legal framework.