Seounmi Youn, Zhao Peng
Indicate that among threat appraisal, perceived risk severity, susceptibility, and the extrinsic benefit of impression management positively relate to parents' privacy concerns. Among coping appraisal, response costs positively relate to these concerns. Consequently, these privacy concerns are associated with both photo-related and general mindful sharenting behaviors.
INTRODUCTION: Awareness of the risks associated with sharing children's information online motivates parents to practice mindful sharenting, a behavior characterized by the use of protective strategies during online sharenting. This study employs Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) as a theoretical framework to empirically investigate the factors that predict these behaviors.
METHODS: An cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 603 U.S. parents to test a structural equation model examining how threat appraisals, coping appraisals, and privacy concerns influence protective behaviors.
RESULTS: Indicate that among threat appraisal, perceived risk severity, susceptibility, and the extrinsic benefit of impression management positively relate to parents' privacy concerns. Among coping appraisal, response costs positively relate to these concerns. Consequently, these privacy concerns are associated with both photo-related and general mindful sharenting behaviors.
DISCUSSION: The findings also reveal that a child's age moderates these relationships: the links between privacy concerns and both mindful sharenting behaviors are more pronounced for parents with younger children (≤9 years) than parents of older children (>9 years). Practically, the study highlights the need for educational initiatives that upskill parents to manage privacy risks effectively.