What are practical examples children can relate to about the risks of oversharing personal details? 

Parenting Perspective 

To make the dangers of oversharing feel real to a child, it is important to move beyond abstract warnings and use concrete examples that connect to their own world. 

Link It to Everyday Situations 

Explain that sharing personal information online is like leaving your front door unlocked. You could also say it is like telling a stranger at the park your home address and what time your parents will be out. This helps them to understand the real-world risk. 

Use School-Based Scenarios 

Use their school as a relatable example. Explain that posting a photo in their uniform or sharing their class timetable online is like giving an unfamiliar person a map to find them. This makes the danger feel specific and personal. 

Show How Small Details Add Up 

Help them to understand that even small, seemingly innocent pieces of information, like their favourite park or sports club, can be put together by someone to build a detailed picture of their life and daily routines. 

Role-Play Potential Scenarios 

Without being frightening, you can gently act out a scenario where someone uses details from their posts to pretend they know them. Then, you can show them how keeping certain details private makes it much harder for anyone to do that. 

These practical examples empower children with the awareness they need to make safer choices online. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam teaches us to be wise stewards of everything we have been given, including our personal information and our safety. Taking sensible precautions is a part of faith. 

Safeguarding Ourselves from Harm 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Baqarah (2), Verse 195: 

‘And do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good…’ 

This reminds us that being careless with what we share online can be a way of exposing ourselves to harm, and that protecting ourselves is a responsible, God-conscious act. 

Privacy as Part of Faith 

It is recorded in Riyadh Al Saliheen, Hadith 170, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Part of the perfection of a person’s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him.’ 

This teaches us the wisdom of keeping our personal matters private. Sharing unnecessary details online can expose us to harm and is contrary to this principle of mindful discretion. 

By teaching children to be careful about what they share, we are nurturing in them the Islamic value of protecting one’s own dignity and safety.