Sharenting: What Drives Parents’ Desire to To Share Online?

We see it all the time — people sharing pictures of their kids. Why do these parents use public platforms to share (and, let’s be frank, often overshare) details about their lives and kids’ lives online? There’s a lot of powerful psychological motivators at play — a combination of pride, joy, identity and social validation. But it’s not without risks. Without attention to privacy settings, image content and boundary violations, it can also be a little thoughtless or reckless.

Parents and grandparents have always felt the need to share. Who can forget the pre-digital “Grandma’s Brag Books”? Sharing serves some important functions: 1) it can provide social validation, especially among those for whom having children or grandchildren is culturally a badge of honor or accomplishment, 2) it enables people to appreciate and savor, and 3) it can serve as a means of reinforcing social norms as well as one’s actions and roles. Parenting is hard. We like to know we’re doing it right.

Social media sharing also functions as today’s photo albums. Instagram can be an easy place to access and revisit images, re-experience events or for just plain old reminiscing. The act of sharing increases what is known in psych lit as capitalization — creating greater enjoyment and meaning around events.

Parents often find their life focused on kids once they have them. Sharing can be a way of normalizing one’s experience as a parent — feeling like you are not alone and are doing things the right way. Simple sharing can be the complex act of reaffirming your identity as a parent.

What is the Impact of Sharing on Kids?

The burning question now is, what about the kids. In 2010, 92% of US children had an online presence by the age of two-this is some combination of parents sharing images on their sites and, in many cases, creating Instagram or Facebook accounts for the child (Business Wire, 2010). That was nine years ago. These kids are growing up on Instagram, literally and metaphorically.

As kids age into their tweens and early teens, their sensitivity to image increases and peer acceptance increases as part of their developmental arcs. What seemed fun at 5 years old, may lose some of its appeal as kids…