Do I have the right to share? Sharenting and psychological ownership of children’s information in the U.S.

ABSTRACTSharenting refers to parents sharing private information about their children online. While satisfying important needs among parents, sharenting poses privacy risks to children and may interfere with children’s autonomy in constructing their own online identity. Drawing on the concept of psychological ownership in organizational psychology and applying it to the Communication Privacy Management (CPM) framework, this study examines the interrelationships among parents’ psychological ownership of their children’s private information, their motivations for sharenting, and the frequency and types of sharenting behaviors they engage in. An online survey was administered to 429 parents who reported having ever shared private information about their underage children on social media. Based on previous research, two potential dimensions of psychological ownership (possession and responsibility) were proposed and their relationships with each other and with sharenting behavior and motivations were examined. The findings showed a modest correlation between possession and responsibility. Both demonstrated significant relationships with sharenting behavior and motivations, but not always in the same direction. The findings suggest value of adding psychological ownership to the CPM framework. Practical implications for parents, educators, and advocates are discussed.Impact SummaryPrior state of knowledge: Parents are actively sharing private information about their children on social media (sharenting). It poses risks to children’s privacy and interferes with children’s construction of their own identity.Novel contributions: This is the first study to apply the concept of psychological ownership in organizational psychology to the communication privacy management theory (CPM). This advances both the CPM theory and understanding of the sharenting behavior.Practical implications: The findings have practical implications for parents, educators, and advocates who are concerned about children’s identity and privacy online. Greater efforts should be dedicated to educating parents about being good stewards of their children’s private information online.KEYWORDS: Sharentingcommunication privacy management theorypsychological ownershipchildrenprivacy Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.Additional informationNotes on contributorsXiaomei CaiXiaomei Cai, (Ph.D., Indiana University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at George Mason University in the United States. Her research focuses on sharenting, children’s online privacy, and health message designs for youth and families.