How do I coach them to decline sharing a screenshot without shaming the asker? 

Parenting Perspective 

To many children, sharing a screenshot can feel harmless. In reality, passing on a private conversation, a school report, or a funny photo without permission can cause embarrassment and break a person’s trust. Your goal is to give your child a calm, repeatable way to say ‘no’ that protects both friendships and privacy. You are not just teaching them to avoid drama, but to become a trustworthy guardian of digital information. 

Explain the ‘Why’: Privacy Is a Form of Protection 

Begin by explaining the principle in a gentle way: ‘A screenshot takes someone’s private words or their picture and shares it with an audience they did not choose. Even if we do not mean any harm, it can hurt their feelings or spread rumours.’ Framing it this way helps your child to see that they are protecting a person, not just being difficult. 

Provide Simple and Polite Scripts for Declining 

Children need the exact words they can use in the heat of the moment. Offer them a few options they can memorise. 

• ‘I do not share screenshots of private chats. Let us keep this between us.’ 

• ‘I am not comfortable sending that, but thank you for asking.’ 

• ‘I can tell you the main point, but I will not send the actual image.’ 

Each of these scripts is brief, polite, and principled. It states a personal policy, rather than passing judgment on the person asking. 

Teach Them to Offer a Respectful Alternative 

A simple ‘no’ can sometimes feel cold in a text conversation. You can pair the boundary with a constructive offer. 

• Offer to summarise the conversation instead of sending the image. 

• Suggest that the person asking should get permission from the original person. 

• Share a relevant public link or a different photo instead of the private content. 

Coach the ‘Policy, Pause, Pivot’ Routine 

Give your child a simple, three-step rhythm they can rely on to keep the conversation clear and to avoid arguments. 

• Policy: State the boundary clearly and calmly one time. ‘I do not share screenshots.’ 

• Pause: Stop typing. Do not feel the need to justify, defend, or debate your policy. 

• Pivot: If needed, change the subject or offer a kind alternative. ‘I am happy to summarise it instead.’ 

Prepare ‘Repair’ Lines for When They Make a Mistake 

If your child has already shared something too quickly, teach them how to make a quick and honest repair. 

• ‘I shared that too fast. I have deleted it and I will not forward it again.’ 

• ‘I should have asked for permission first. I am sorry about that.’ 

Learning how to take accountability reduces the harm caused and models integrity. 

Spiritual Insight 

Guarding the Tongue and Trust in the Digital Age 

The act of sharing a screenshot can very easily fall into the categories of backbiting or spying, both of which are strongly condemned in Islam. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Hujuraat (49), Verses 12: 

‘Those of you who have believed, abstain as much as you can from cynical thinking (about one another); as some of that cynical thinking is a sin; and do not spy (on each other) and do not let some of you backbite against others; would one of you like to eat the meat of his mortally expired brother? Not at all – you would find it repulsive; and so seek piety from Allah (Almighty), indeed, Allah (Almighty) is the Greatest Exonerator and the Most Merciful.’ 

This verse reminds us that exposing people’s private words or images can feed suspicion and is a form of backbiting. Teaching a child to decline a request to share a screenshot is a modern, practical way of living this verse. 

Keeping a Trust (Amanah) Is Part of Faith 

Forwarding someone’s private words or pictures without their consent is a betrayal of trust (amanah). 

It is recorded in Sunan Nisai, 5021, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays the trust.’ 

You can explain this concept simply to a child: a private conversation is a trust. Forwarding it without permission is a type of betrayal, even if it is unintentional. A child who learns to say, ‘I do not share screenshots,’ is protecting that trust and, in doing so, protecting their own character. 

By weaving this boundary into the fabric of their faith, children learn that kindness is not only about what we say, but also about what we refuse to send.