UGM Students Expose Hidden Risks of Child Monetization on Social Media

YOGYAKARTA, JurnalPost.com — The trend of parents sharing their children's activities and development on social media, or sharenting , is becoming increasingly common. However, behind family content that appears lighthearted or even generates economic profit, concerns are emerging regarding child exploitation occurring covertly in the digital space.

This issue is the focus of research by five Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) students who make up the 'Teman Tumbuh' (Growing Friends) team.

Through the Student Creativity Program for Social Humanities Research (PKM-RSH), they are investigating the practice of monetizing children's content in a study titled “Childhood in a Digital Showcase: Digital Exploitation through the Practice of Monetizing Children's Content in the Era of Sharenting.”

The research was conducted under the guidance of lecturer Mashita Phitaloka Fandia Purwaningtyas, S.I.P., M.A.

The leader of the Teman Tumbuh team, Phedra Annabelle, stated that the presence of children in parenting-themed content is not always merely a part of family documentation.

In a number of commercial contents, children can have specific roles directly related to product promotion.

Based on the team's research, there are three prominent role patterns: children as consumers interacting directly with products, children as actors following specific scripts, and children as testifiers to support promotions.

Exploitation Is Not Always Overt

According to Phedra, child exploitation in the digital space is often understood only as actions that are clearly visible and abusive. In reality, in the digital world, forms of exploitation can be much more subtle.

This situation arises, among other things, when a child's personal data becomes part of content that is continuously published.

“A form of exploitation that is prone to occurring is the exploitation of children's data. When a child's face, name, habits, activities, and even private location are shared in the public sphere, that information leaves a permanent digital footprint that cannot always be retracted,” said Phedra.

The problem is that the child who is the subject of the content may not understand the long-term consequences of the information shared by their parents.

Photos, videos, locations, habits, and daily activities that seem ordinary today can become part of a child's digital footprint for years to come.

The Teman Tumbuh team believes the issue becomes more complex when such content is not only shared as personal documentation but also monetized.

In such conditions, a child's private life has the potential to shift into a component of a content product.

Regulations Still Seen as Having Loopholes

Indonesia already has a number of regulations related to personal data protection and child protection in the digital space, including the Personal Data Protection Law and Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 concerning the Governance of Electronic System Implementation in Child Protection, or PP TUNAS.

However, the Teman Tumbuh team believes there is still room for clarification, especially when the publication and monetization of children's content are carried out by the parents themselves.

In the practice of sharenting, parents are in a position where they simultaneously act as the creator, the controller, and the party deciding what information about the child will be published.

Therefore, the team argues that child protection in the digital space cannot be directed solely at social media platforms.

Attention must also be paid to how parents use their children's identities, personal data, and daily lives as part of their content.

Child Privacy Needs to Be a Consideration

The Teman Tumbuh team is pushing for increased digital literacy for parents so they can better distinguish between information suitable for the public sphere and the child's private life, which should remain protected.

In addition, they believe clearer rules are needed regarding the safe boundaries of sharenting, especially when children's content is published regularly and generates income.

“For us, the issue is not about forbidding parents from sharing moments with their children, but about ensuring whether the child's rights and privacy are still respected in the process,” said Phedra.

According to the team, photos or videos that are currently considered cute or ordinary may not be viewed the same way when the child grows up.

Content that has circulated widely is also difficult to fully retract once it has been copied, reshared, or stored on various platforms.

Therefore, parents are encouraged to consider the long-term impact before publishing a child's personal information.

The Teman Tumbuh team also highlighted the need for clarity regarding the practice of sharenting on platforms like TikTok, especially in the context of content monetization.

Clearer boundaries could help parents understand when a post is still within the realm of sharing family moments and when the practice begins to potentially disregard the child's rights.

Through this research, the Teman Tumbuh team hopes that the issue of child privacy will no longer be viewed merely as a matter of social media usage, but as a part of protecting children's rights in the digital era.