Abstract:

Sharenting, the practice of parents posting information about their children on social media, has become increasingly prevalent in today's digital age, significantly impacting adolescent identities and family dynamics. This qualitative-phenomenological study investigates the viewpoints of Israeli Arab and Jewish adolescents regarding their parents' sharenting practices since childhood. The sample consisted of 31 adolescents (20 girls and 11 boys) who participated in telephone or Zoom interviews. The findings unveiled a sense of ambivalence among participants regarding their parents' sharenting behaviors. Some participants reported experiencing conflicts over sharenting practices, while others expressed a preference for parental consultation before sharing online. Additionally, some adolescents viewed sharenting as beneficial, while others held mixed opinions. Interestingly, Arab adolescents displayed higher levels of acceptance toward sharenting compared to their Jewish peers. We propose that sharenting serves as a digital platform for parent-adolescent relationships and identity development in the online realm, mirroring real-life dynamics. These findings may assist parents and school counselors in understanding the effects and implications of sharenting.

Keywords:

Sharenting, digital identity, parent-adolescent relationship.