Sharenting in an evolving digital world: Increasing online connection and consumer vulnerability

Abstract

Sharenting (using social media to share content about one's child) is a progressively common phenomenon enabled by society's increased connection to digital technology. Although it can encourage positive connections to others, it also creates concerns related to children's privacy and well-being. In this paper, we establish boundaries and terminology related to sharenting in an evolving digital world. We conceptualize a modern sharenting ecosystem involving key stakeholders (parents, children, community, commercial institutions, and policymakers), by applying consumer L. Lin Ong, Alexa K. Fox and Laurel Aynne Cook are equally contributed and the remaining authors are listed alphabetically.

The many faces of social media in business and economics research: Taking stock of the literature and looking into the future

“…Individual level . Studies investigating social media as a societal challenge at the individual level have concentrated on cyberbullying (Chan et al., 2019; Wong et al., 2021), well‐being (Allcott et al., 2020; Krasnova et al., 2015), addiction (Allcott et al., 2022; Bhargava & Velasquez, 2021; Osatuyi & Turel, 2020), and privacy issues (Acquisti et al., 2020; Cascavilla et al., 2018; Ong et al., 2022; Quach et al., 2022). Overall, research on cyberbullying has focused more on individual‐level psychological predictors (e.g., cognitive processes of bullies) and macro‐level predictors (e.g., environmental factors) than on IT artifacts; however, the latter have been the focus of more recent research (Lowry et al., 2016).…”

Validation of the online version of the sharenting evaluation scale (SES) in Iranian parents: Psychometric properties and concurrent validity

“…The seeking of affirmation and positive reinforcement in sharenting is also a negative feature of the practice, which has been investigated. Parents have many reasons for using social media, such as finding social support online, being able to present themselves and their families, and feeling validated in the positive feedback they get through likes and comments (Ong et al., 2022 ; Ouvrein & Verswijvel, 2019 ).…”

“…Sharenting has positive aspects for parents. Several researchers have noted benefits that can be obtained through sharenting practices (Ong et al., 2022 ; Romero‐Rodríguez et al., 2022 ). Online platforms provide a range of benefits to parents as they both seek and provide support and advice, social connectedness, and seek to feel less alone in the complexity of parenting (Ouvrein & Verswijvel, 2019 ).…”

“…The prevalence of sharenting has caused some researchers to call it parental oversharing or extreme sharing (Klucarova & Hasford, 2021 ). The seeking of affirmation and positive reinforcement in sharenting is also a negative feature of the practice which has been investigated (Ong et al., 2022 ; Ouvrein & Verswijvel, 2019 ). In sum, disclosing the child's personal information on social media affects the child's privacy.…”

“…The seeking of affirmation and positive reinforcement in sharenting is also a negative feature of the practice which has been investigated (Ong et al, 2022;Ouvrein & Verswijvel, 2019). In sum, disclosing the child's personal information on social media affects the child's privacy.…”