Sharenting on TikTok: Exploring Parental Sharing Behaviors and the Discourse Around Children's Online Privacy

Title of the Paper

Sharenting on TikTok: Exploring Parental Sharing Behaviors and the Discourse Around Children’s Online Privacy

Paper Information

• Field of Study: Parental content sharing on social media (particularly TikTok) and children's privacy protection
• Keywords: sharenting, TikTok, social media, privacy, children, youth, parents, safety, consent, short video platform

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems:
  • "Sharenting" refers to parents sharing content related to their children on social media. While this can help preserve family memories, provide social support, and foster a sense of community, it also exposes children to risks such as privacy breaches, identity theft, and cyberbullying.
  • TikTok, as a short video platform, with its "viral video" mechanism and extensive information dissemination capabilities, may exacerbate these risks.
• Research Motivation:
  • Existing research on "sharenting" primarily focuses on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, with limited targeted studies on short video platforms such as TikTok.
  • TikTok's rich video content, rapid dissemination, and the tendency of many parents to showcase their children's lives to the public may have profound implications for children's long-term privacy and digital footprints.
• Related Work:
  • Previous studies have explored the risks of "sharenting" on social platforms (e.g., privacy breaches and identity theft) and proposed preliminary boundaries for social cognition and decision-making behaviors.
  • However, the unique characteristics of short video platforms like TikTok (e.g., algorithmic recommendations, trend challenges) and their impact on sharenting behaviors and associated risks have yet to be thoroughly examined.

Proposed Solution

• Research Questions:
  1. What are the characteristics of parental content sharing behaviors on TikTok? Do these behaviors reflect sharing norms distinct from other platforms?
  2. What perspectives and controversies emerge in discussions about parental content sharing on TikTok?
• Research Methods:
  • Selected and analyzed 328 "sharenting" videos and 438 videos discussing children's privacy and sharenting behaviors on TikTok.
  • Conducted content analysis of sharenting-related videos and discussions to explore the types of video content, the scope of shared information, and mainstream opinions in public discourse.

Research Findings

• Characteristics of Sharenting on TikTok:

  • Most videos include humor and family scenes, but the majority do not mention whether children consented to the content being shared (97% of videos did not reference consent).
  • Types of content shared by parents include sensitive topics (e.g., medical information, privacy issues), with some content posing potential risks of misuse (e.g., videos showing partial nudity or emotional distress of children).
  • TikTok trends and challenges (e.g., family introduction videos) may incentivize parents to share identifying information about children (e.g., names, birthdays, family relationships).

• Public Discourse on Sharenting:

  • TikTok users widely criticize sharenting, particularly the behavior of using children as continuous sources of income. Some users view this as "exploitation," infringing on children's privacy and autonomy.
  • Key objections include: negative impacts on children's mental health, safety risks (e.g., privacy exposure to malicious individuals), and lack of informed consent from children.
  • Some supportive perspectives argue that sharenting allows parents to gain community support or receive financial assistance during difficult times.

• TikTok's Interaction Mechanisms and Discussion Features:

  • TikTok's characteristics (e.g., viral dissemination mechanisms and creator interactions) make it a significant platform for users to critique and discuss sharenting behaviors.
  • Users employ methods such as criticizing harmful behaviors and showcasing privacy protection strategies to promote safer sharenting norms.

• Limitations of the Study:

  • The dataset is biased toward English-language content and does not fully reflect sharenting phenomena in other cultural contexts.
  • TikTok's algorithmic recommendations may create discrepancies between the content encountered by regular users and researchers.

Future Directions and Recommendations

• Future Research:

  • Investigate parental sharenting behaviors and impacts across various platforms, including the sociocultural context of parent-child privacy communication.
  • Examine the influence of brands and commercial interests on sharenting practices.
  • Conduct systematic studies on norms and values surrounding children's privacy protection and digital footprint management in different countries and communities.

• Design and Policy Recommendations:

  • Technologically, platforms could implement automatic facial blurring features and enforce labeling and privacy filtering for content involving children.
  • Policy-wise, advocate for children's "right to be forgotten" regarding sharented content (similar to GDPR).
  • Educate the public on the importance of evaluating children's consent and privacy rights, guiding sharenting behaviors toward more ethical practices.

• Academic Contributions:

  • Establish cross-platform boundaries for sharenting behaviors as a foundational reference for future research.
  • Provide critical data for studies on children's privacy protection and parental behaviors, particularly in the context of short video platforms.