First Advisor
Dr. Amanda Singer
Date of Award
Spring 6-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology and University Honors
Department
Psychology
Language
English
Subjects
Sharenting, family influencing, data privacy, parasocial relationships, TikTok
Abstract
Sharenting, the practice of parents sharing images and information about their children on social media, is a growing, cross-platform phenomenon threatening the privacy and safety of children, especially on TikTok. As this content gained popularity it became monetizable through influencer marketing, or paid partnerships with brands, and created a form of sharenting referred to as family influencing. Influencer marketing encourages the development of parasocial relationships (PSRs) to build a loyal audience for financial success. PSRs develop when a viewer forms a non-reciprocal relationship with a figure through a series of one-sided, mediated interactions simulating face-to-face or intimate interactions. The present study investigates how parents of family influencing accounts encourage the development of parasocial relationships between their family and their audience, and how this content exposes children to harm. A sample of 50 videos selected across 10 family influencing accounts on TikTok was selected and evaluated through a deductive coding analysis based on previously developed frameworks for PSR development. Themes of Frequent Exposure, Perceived Intimacy, and Connection and Belonging were present in the sample. A Critical Discourse Analysis highlights the normalizing and proliferating of family influencing content, its encouragement of parasociality, and the unique harms to children that are hidden by this discourse. The disempowerment and lack of protections for children are discussed. Future research should detail the role of the audience in PSRs within family influencing, as well as the short and long term effects on the children involved to influence policy efforts protecting their privacy and autonomy.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Riley, "Is Sharing Always Caring: Critical Discourse Analysis on the Parasociality of Family Influencing Content on TikTok" (2025). University Honors Theses. Paper 1639.