Are Britney Spears' Kids Too Cool for Photos?

Sharenting — the term first came up when Gwyneth Paltrow shared a photo with her teenage daughter, which her child did not like since the celebrity mom did not have permission. Now, Britney Spears wants to celebrate because she finally got her teenage sons allow her to post their photo with mom. Britney Spears' kids are all grown up now and they are even taller than the pop star.

Britney Spears Kids Now

The last time Britney Spears' teen kids appeared on the pop star's Instagram was nearly two years ago. Brit was able to share a throwback of a beach photo with her kids when they were so little.

 
Before that, she shared a snap of her kids who were almost the same height as their mom. Even during their Disneyland trip, Spears shared how now that her kids are older, they "do not like their picture taken." But since it was a special trip to Disneyland, the boys gave their mom the thumbs-up to snap away and post on Instagram.

Nearly two years since appearing on the "Oops, I Did It Again" singer's Instagram page, Britney Spears' teen kids made a rare appearance once again. Now, they have grown even taller than their mom as Britney's eldest, Sean Preston is now 15 and Jayden is 14.

 
Spears gushed that she wanted to celebrate because now she need not feel left out, what with all the photos of celebrity kids showing up on her feed. But, the singer stopped in her tracks and realized cool moms should not celebrate over finally being allowed by their teen kids to post their photo together.

The proud mom cried out how "extremely lucky" she was for having "two babies who are such gentleman." Britney also gushed that she "must have done something right." The mom-of-two felt nostalgic over her kids growing up so fast, which she says is harder for a mama with boys.

Spears said she felt grateful for having her children. She added that she respects that her sons are at the age where they would like to express their own identities, Yahoo reported. The mom said she needed to make "a cool edit" of their photo before her teen sons finally allowed the photo to go public on mom's social media page.

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Britney Spears Custody of Kids 2021

Meanwhile, Spears only really get to see her sons periodically, not even having a set schedule, Stylecaster reported. The mom used to have more time with her kids but her custody arrangement was changed. Now, the teenage boys live with their dad and only have "very few visits" with mom, Britney, and only overnight visits. But the mom understands that her teenage sons are at the age where they really want to be with their friends, not parents.

ALSO READ: Co-Parenting During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Sharenting and Why Parents Need to Respect Their Teenage Kids' Privacy

Sharenting is any act of parents sharing photos or information about their kids online. It is normal for parents to share photos of their kids as they are being their usual proud parent selves. But kids, teenage children especially may think their parents are invading their privacy when sharenting.

Gwyneth Paltrow's 14-year-old daughter was quick to post on her private social media page, "mom we discussed this. You may not post (my photos) without my permission." Sharenting goes as far back as sharing photos of your very young kids. For instance, 14-year-old Sonia Bokhari said she felt "deeply betrayed and utterly embarrassed" when she discovered her mom had been posting photos of her on Facebook for years.

ALSO READ: How Many Photos of Your Kids Is Too Many? What to Do When Faced With Photography?

Nineteen-year-old Konrad Iturbe also shared his "big awakening" when he found out his parents had been posting his photos for many years. He said he felt it was a breach of privacy as images of his youth are a very intimate thing for him, BBC reported. He added that he was worried about facial recognition algorithms and the fact that his mom's social media account was public.

A study on Estonian children ages 9 to 13, revealed that children were not in favor of their parents sharing unflattering photos of them as it could affect their self-image and could lead to cyber-bullying. Another concern was digital kidnapping and using the photos for sexual or fraudulent purposes.

So while children are to understand that their parents only post photos of them online to share the moments with family and friends, parents also need to understand about cyber security, the risks of cyber-bullying, identity theft, facial recognition algorithms, and most importantly, their teenage children's right to privacy. Respecting teenage children's privacy is vital for the development of their independence and autonomy, Very Well Family advised. This way, teenagers also feel trusted, capable, and confident.