Parenting in the Age of Social Media: Summary of Interview Findings

As a community we are only beginning to understand how social media may impact people’s experience of being and becoming a parent. The Parenting in the Age of Social Media project is the first stage of a two-year study aiming to explore the experiences of using social media among parents of young children and parents-to-be in Australia. We hope that this study will improve our understanding of how social media shapes parenting and parent wellbeing, and identify strategies to support parents to use social media in ways that enhance (rather than undermine) parent wellbeing. The study is run by La Trobe University and Australian Catholic University.

In 2019-2020, we interviewed 24 parents and parents-to-be from across Australia about the role of social media in early parenthood. Participants shared their experiences of using social media in relation to their wellbeing and discussed how information on social media shaped their parenting attitudes and decision-making.

This one-page summary provides an overview of who took part and what our key findings are.