Experts dig into the trend known as “sharenting” which is the act of parents oversharing pictures of their kids on social media. While it may sound like something sweet, let’s take a look at how it may be dangerous and why people do it in the first place.

Why Do Parents Share?

Statistics show that more than ¾ of parents nowadays share photos of their children on social media. While some may be curating the perfect image, having the desire to show their children (and family life in general) in perfect light, some couples show the struggle of being a parent.

Social media is taking a turn and while there are still middle-class people who try to present their lifestyle as roses and flowers, many people take the opportunity to share the opposite. As we’re speaking of parents, the infamous #parentlife hashtag has grown into a movement that shows the not-so-glamorous side of being a parent. This is exactly why this movement is successful as people see an opportunity to relate to their everyday parenting issues with everyday normal people.

The Issues of Social Media & Parenting

Connecting with like-minded people has never been easier with the power of social media. However, though sharenting helps parents communicate and bond with their similar problems, there are also safety issues that no one seems to be considering before they hit that “share” button.

A child’s digital footprint begins the day they are born as parents want to introduce their child to their circle of social media friends. Often, such photos include the kid’s full name and birthday but parents rarely think about the chances of their children’s identity being stolen. However, statistics show that about 14% of parents report their children to have their identities stolen.

Other Risks of Sharenting

Not only does sharenting expose children to predators, but nearly 60% of teens have also been a victim of cyberbullying. Oversharing teenagers is a whole other topic but when anyone can trace down a person to their first photos of a human being (we’re talking about a random picture of a child, sleeping in the car with their mouth open), they can put that kid at risk of bullying later on.

So, here’s some advice for new parents: it shouldn’t be an issue to share a photo of a newborn, but just be careful with the information provided and think about the long-term consequences of such photos being exposed to anyone on the World Wide Web.

Getting into a pattern of sleeping less can be easy to do. One late night out can turn into a few in a row or study sessions can go on for hours without you realizing. All of a sudden, you find yourself getting below the average recommended sleeping time each night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, between seven and nine hours of rest is recommended. Not getting enough can have numerous adverse effects, one of which involving your skin.

Beauty Sleep Is Real

Not getting enough sleep can affect your mental and physical health, which is commonly known. However, another effect is premature aging, which is shown on your skin.

While you’re sleeping, the body rests and starts to regenerate by eliminating and replacing dead cells, which include skin and blood cells. More sleep can also lower the stress hormone cortisol levels, which can cause free-radical damage to the skin, along with other systems in the body.

Sleep has many benefits, especially for the skin. Natural sleep-induced collagen production can prevent wrinkles and sagging skin, which can keep you looking younger for longer. Sleep deprivation over time can cause rapid depletion of plumpness and elasticity of your skin. In the short-term, it can cause puffy eyes or dark circles, which is something most people have experienced at some point.

Less Sleep Can Cause Bad Skin

Aside from your body feeling tired after not enough sleep, those effects will also start to show up on your face. The skin can start to become imbalanced — which can lead to dehydration, acne, redness, and sallow complexion. The pH levels of your skin are affected when you get less sleep, which also lowers the moisture level and depletes the natural glow that your skin has.

Not enough sleep can also mean that your body doesn’t have enough time to regenerate any damaged cells from blemishes or sun exposure, which means that it’ll be more likely that you can notice fine lines and discoloration.