“You don’t have to share every single small moment on social media” Exploring Tensions Between Parents and Children in Sharenting Practices

Abstract

Sharenting – parents’ content sharing about their children on social media in the form of text, image, or video – is a widespread phenomenon internationally. However, research on sharenting is scarce in a Nordic context, especially from the perspective of children and adolescents. The objectives of this paper are to analyze sharenting practices in Norway, how sharenting-related tensions between parents and children manifest, and potential strategies for reducing tensions. The article draws on impression management and communication privacy management theory to analyze these objectives. To gain a profound insight into the complexities of parent-child perspectives related to sharenting, we conducted three focus group interviews with children, adolescents, and parents, alongside a workshop with five parents and their children. The findings show that the quality and quantity of content, as well as parents sharing without consent, are the main causes of tensions. In order to control their digital identities, children and adolescents wish to be asked for consent, while their parents do not always understand the importance of this. Finally, the article discusses children’s and adolescents’ suggestions on how to improve parents’ sharenting practices to ensure a better digital everyday life.