SOCIAL MEDIA AND PARENTING SUPPORT: A SYSTEMATIC SCOPING REVIEW (2010-2019)

Abstract

The internet plays a central role in much of contemporary parenting, which includes parent participation in social media networks. When people use social media to support parenting activities, they may seek information as well as social support, and in turn may provide information and social support to others. This study presents a systematic scoping review of empirical research on social media use for parenting support activities, whether parent-initiated and organic in origin or externally-initiated and intervention-focused. This review identified 70 relevant empirical articles published across a decade (2010-2019) and explored research trends (e.g., trajectory, study populations, research type and social media platforms) and parenting support topics. Findings show that health-related parenting support has been studied most frequently, followed by general parenting support and school-related support. This study yields insights into research gaps and potential areas for further research of parenting support via social media.