KUALA LUMPUR: A joint study by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) highlights a growing psychological conflict among modern parents.
While many crave the community and validation of sharing family milestones online, a practice known as “sharenting”, the majority are deeply uncomfortable with how that data is harvested.
Even if a child has never touched a smartphone, social media platforms can build highly detailed “shadow profiles” of them. This happens when tech companies harvest data and analyse behaviour using photos, videos, and tags uploaded by parents and relatives.
The research reveals widespread alarm over how tech firms utilise this data:
- 74 per cent of parents are concerned that social media companies use their children’s data to train or develop software.
- 73 per cent believe platforms are actively profiling their children online.
- 71 per cent worry that their children are being targeted with tailored advertisements.
Nearly 80 per cent of those surveyed believe that third-party marketing companies tracking and profiling their children will lead to severe consequences.
The immediate physical risks of online sharing remain the primary source of anxiety for families. More than seven in 10 parents believe strangers can deduce where they live (74 per cent) and where their children go to school (73 per cent) based on social media posts.
Furthermore, 69 per cent of respondents fear that embarrassing posts could be weaponised or taken out of context in the future.
The study was compiled from 152 in-depth online and email responses collected between October 2025 and February 2026 across Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Egypt.
Associate Professor Jiow Hee Jhee, Deputy Director of the Teaching and Learning Academy at SIT, said these anxieties are entirely justified.
“They worry about unknown individuals saving their children’s photos, piecing together where their family lives, or misusing such information years later in ways they cannot control.
“These concerns are valid and point to how exposed children can become without parents fully realising it.”
Despite these pressing security concerns, the study outlines a distinct cultural split over the emotional rewards of sharing parenting journeys online.
The data highlights a highly divided digital landscape:
- Exactly half (50 per cent) of respondents feel a sense of camaraderie and positive affirmation when sharing updates, while the other 50 per cent do not.
- Contentment from updating far-away relatives appeals to 47 per cent of parents, leaving 53 per cent indifferent.
- While 48 per cent feel positive about sharing major milestones, an overwhelming 82 per cent choose not to regularly update their wider social networks, preferring a restricted approach.
Trishia Octaviano, senior manager for Cybersecurity Education at Kaspersky Asia Pacific, noted that while parents recognise the social incentives of digital connection, the balance is firmly tilting toward caution.
“Even if children themselves have no social media accounts of their own, these platforms can still paint their behavioural portraits as prospective consumers using other users’ data.
“There are ways to practice mindful sharenting, and it starts with being more intentional with managing children’s digital footprints.”
