Navigating the Digital Sphere: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Parenting-based Social Media Influencers on Maternal Mental Health and Child Commercialization

Abstract

Purpose: In the past 5 years, there has been a 101.6% increase in mom-influencers on social media. On the other hand, the majority of parents with children below the age of 18 have admitted that they spend too much time online. With this rise of social media use and momfluencers, it was inevitable that parents, especially mothers, would be impacted by the content shared on social media. Additionally, this rise indicates a higher number of children growing up under the anonymous, watchful eyes of social media users. This situation warrants a profound exploration of the area. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to identify what is known about how parenting-based social media influencers impact the commercialization of their children and the maternal mental health of their consumers. Collection and analysis of data: A search of online research records was conducted from January to March 2024 to collect literature that focused on how social media influencers commercialize their children and their impact on mothers who consume their content. The data collected were tabulated and subjected to thematic analysis. The review was reported using the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results showed that eighteen papers met the inclusion criteria, and four themes were identified to understand the data extracted: “Perceived authenticity of momfluencers and negative state of mothers,” “Overall well-being of mothers,” “Sharenting,” and “Digital labor of children.” Conclusions: Social media influencers who focus on parenting content have a negative impact on maternal mental health and monetize their children by engaging them in digital labor.