Digital technologies have become an important part of children's daily lives, regardless of cultural and geographical context. This is often due to the actions of parents who notoriously share information about their children on the Internet. Social media can today be considered a "modern baby album", where by sharing photos of their children, parents present themselves as good parents, giving birth to adorable babies, with a sense of humor and evidence of milestones achieved - all indicators family health and happiness. Very often children are not aware that thanks to their parents they have become celebrities on social media. This parental behavior, known as sharenting, is becoming more and more common around the world putting children at risk: loss of privacy (children do not have a say in what information is shared about them online, this digital footprint can be difficult to control later in life), identity theft (personal information can be used for identity theft, impacting children's security), exploitation (images and information can be used for commercial purposes), cyberbullying and harassment.
The main goal of GUARDIAN is to investigate the extent and dimensions of sharenting in Europe and East Africa from intercultural perspectives in order to provide guidance and recommendations on the measures required to respect and protect children’s rights in the digital world. The project will promote the rights of the child and raise awareness of the society about risks and challenges experienced by children in the digital environment and help them to navigate the online world responsibly.
NEWS:
Czech scientists presented their views on sharenting in London
3.10.2025 International symposium took place in August this year in London to reflect ethical, legal, social and cultural perspectives on sharenting and child safety online. It was organized by the Polish University abroad in London that carries out Horizon project called Guardian where Faculty of Education of the Palacký University Olomouc is a partner. The symposium presented ongoing research and theoretical insights as well as outlined future research trajectories. Participants discussed challenges and recent advancements in the field of children’s online safety. More here.
Faculty of Education is a partner of the Horizon Europe project on the protection of children's rights in the digital world
6.6.2025 A new project by the University of Silesia in Katowice, funded by the prestigious Horizon Europe program, aims to support children's rights and raise public awareness of the risks and challenges children face in the digital environment. The Faculty of Education of Palacký University in Olomouc is also involved in the research of the project. More here.
PROJECT OUTCOMES AND ACTIVITIES:
International symposium, 22.8.2025, The Polish University Abroad in London, Great Britain
ABOUT PROJECT:
Project name: Guardian – Growing Online: How to Protect Our Children in the Digital World?
Project ID: 101182798
Official website: https://guardian-eu.us.edu.pl/
Leader: UNIWERSYTET SLASKI W KATOWICACH, Poland
Consortium partners:
UNIVERZITA PALACKEHO V OLOMOUCI, Czech Republic
PWANI UNIVERSITY, Kenya
STOWARZYSZENIE EDUKACJA, NAUKA, KULTURA, Poland
POLISH UNIVERSITY ABROAD, United Kingdom
Project duration: 01.01.2025 – 31.12.2028
EU Contribution: 547 400,00 EUR
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.