Sharing images of children on social media: British motherhood influencers and the privacy paradox

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which popular British motherhood influencers infringe on their children’s privacy by posting images of them online. We conducted a content analysis of 5,253 Instagram posts from ten UK-based influencers, supplemented by self-reported data from these influencers. This represents the first comprehensive analysis of actual sharing practices in the British motherhood influencer industry, linking observed behavior with self-reported perceptions. Children appeared in over 75% of the posts (3,917), though the proportion of posts containing embarrassing, intimate, or revealing content was relatively low (11.5%). Notably, sponsorships and product advertisements were present in 46.4% of posts featuring children, indicating that children’s images are frequently used for financial gain. Despite this, post popularity did not vary based on the inclusion of children, as posts featuring children did not receive more likes than those without. Influencers reported strong trust in online safety on Instagram, and reported indifference or willingness to sharenting suggesting that sharing images of their children may be a deliberate strategy rather than an accidental act. Half of the influencers did not accurately estimate their past sharenting behavior. This study extends the existing body of knowledge on sharenting behaviour and the privacy paradox by establishing a foundation of parents’ real-world posting habits and connecting them to their beliefs about publicly sharing their children’s images in the UK context. The findings do not strongly support the privacy paradox in this sample.