Demographic, Social Network Structure and Instagram Use Related Factors Predicting Parents' Sharenting Behaviors

There has been limited number of studies on sharenting which has occured as a new concept related to parenting due to parent’s extensive sharing of information about their children on social media. The aim of the present study was to examine mothers’ and fathers’ sharing of their children’s photos on Instagram as a sharenting behavior with its predictors. Thus, the relationship of the frequency of sharing children’s photos with the demographic (gender, age, education level and perceived financial status), social network structure-related (online: number of Instagram followers, ratio of followers liking and commenting on children’s photos; offline: perceived social support), and Instagram-use-related (frequency of visiting account, duration of having an account and frequency of general sharing) factors was analyzed. Six hundred seventy three parents using Instagram completed the demographic information form, the use of social media form, and the perceived offline social support scale. Five hundred thirty seven (300 mothers) parents reported to have shared at least one photo of their children on Instagram. Mothers and fathers did not differ in the frequency of sharing photos and the analysis of the contents of shared photos demonstrated that special events, trips and holidays with children, and times with family and friends were the most frequently reported contents. Regression analysis showed that the frequency of sharing children’s photos was predicted negatively by parents’ age; and positively by the frequency of general sharing, the ratio of followers liking children’ photos, and the perceived offline social support.