Exploring the relationship between social media use, sharenting practices, and maternal psychological well-being.

Background: This study examined the correlation between social media usage, sharenting practices (sharing parenting-related content on social media), and psychological well-being among 130 mothers whose children visited Baskent University Hospital between April 2020 and January 2021.

Methods: The participants completed an online questionnaire that assessed their social media usage, sharenting practices on Instagram, as well as their levels of depression, life satisfaction, and psychological resilience. Additionally, the researchers created an Instagram account and followed the mothers' social media activities.

Results: The findings revealed that Instagram was the most commonly used social media platform, with mothers using it an average of 5.8 times per day and spending an average of 75 min per day on the platform. Sharing privacy-violating photos of their children was positively correlated with the mothers' own depressive symptoms (r = 0.285, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with their life satisfaction (r=-0.274, p < 0.01). Similarly, sharing children's photos containing identifiable information was positively correlated with mothers' depressive symptoms (r = 0.373, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with their life satisfaction (r=-0.282, p = 0.001).

Conclusion: These findings indicate a significant relationship between social media usage, sharenting practices, and the psychological well-being of mothers. The study underscores the importance of raising awareness about the potential risks associated with social media use, particularly among mothers who engage in sharenting practices.