The Limits of Sharenting: Exploring Parents’ and Adolescents’ Sharenting Boundaries Through the Lens of Communication Privacy Management Theory

Abstract

Parents sharing information about their children on social network sites (SNSs) (i.e., sharenting) is common today. However, previous work confronting parents’ and adolescents’ views on sharenting and related privacy concerns is limited. Therefore, the present study scrutinizes parents’ motives for sharenting and adolescents’ attitudes toward sharenting and negotiated privacy management strategies. Communication Privacy Management (CPM) was used as a theoretical framework. Based on 30 semi-structured interviews, two motives for sharenting were identified. Parents share information about their adolescent children because they are proud of their offspring or to inform family and friends. In turn, adolescents’ approval of their parents’ sharenting behavior depends on the content parents disclose online. Adolescents perceive sharenting as positive as long as they are nicely portrayed and positive events are shared. Additionally, both adolescents and parents are concerned about the child’s online privacy. They adopt several strategies to respect privacy boundaries and to avoid privacy turbulence.

How affected family members communicate about their loved one’s non-medical opioid use

“…Lewis et al (2011) examined patient/physician communication about birth control through the lens of CPM and identified both patient characteristics and physician characteristics that determined the permeability of patients’ privacy boundaries. Similarly, Walrave and colleagues (2022) used CPM in their examination of communication boundaries between parents and adolescents related to social media sharing, and identified strategies that parents and adolescents developed to negotiate privacy boundaries and avoid boundary turbulence. Another study using CPM to examine boundary negotiation about what, when and with whom to share information about a lung cancer diagnosis identified the importance of risk benefit analyses to accessing social support (Ngwenya et al, 2016).…”

Mindful sharenting: how millennial parents balance between sharing and protecting

“…Research has found that 20% of European children’s (aged 12–16) parents or carers shared personal information about them on social media without asking ( Smahel et al, 2020 ). However, some studies also found parents reflecting on the consequences of disclosing personal information about their child ( Cino and Wartella, 2021 ; Walrave et al, 2022 ). Some parents take a critical stance towards sharenting and adapt their behavior by not sharing personal identifiable information of their child or by adopting privacy-protecting strategies when engaging in sharenting ( Ammari et al, 2015 ; Autenrieth, 2018 ).…”

“…Some parents take a critical stance towards sharenting and adapt their behavior by not sharing personal identifiable information of their child or by adopting privacy-protecting strategies when engaging in sharenting ( Ammari et al, 2015 ; Autenrieth, 2018 ). However, until now, research mainly concentrated on parents’ sharenting motives ( Latipah et al, 2020 ), and on adolescents’ perception of their parents’ motives and behavior ( Lipu and Siibak, 2019 ; Ouvrein and Verswijvel, 2019 ; Verswijvel et al, 2019 ; Walrave et al, 2022 ). Scarce research focused on parents’ critical attitude towards sharenting and its influence on their sharenting behavior as a consequence ( Davidson-Wall, 2018 ).…”

“…Parents also want to show their pride and highlight important events and accomplishments for their online contacts to witness. They also post these achievements and family moments online to show the role they play as a parent, and to feel supported and validated through the comments and likes they receive ( Kumar and Schoenebeck, 2015 ; Blum-Ross and Livingstone, 2017 ; Davidson-Wall, 2018 ; Walrave et al, 2022 ).…”

“…However, the online identity which parents form for their children through sharenting, may not align with how adolescents want to represent themselves online. Therefore, young people may engage in privacy management strategies, protecting personal information so parents or others may not access and further transmit specific information ( Verswijvel et al, 2019 ; Walrave et al, 2022 ).…”