The FoMO–JoMO Paradox in Digital Parenting: What Drives Oversharenting?

Abstract

Sharenting, the practice of parents sharing images and information about their children on social media, has become a widely debated digital parenting behavior. While some scholars emphasize its benefits, such as social support and affirmation of parenting practices, others highlight risks to children’s privacy and rights. Building on recent distinctions between oversharenting and controlled sharenting, this study explores the psychological mechanisms that may underlie these practices. Specifically, we focus on the role of fear of missing out (FoMO), joy of missing out (JoMO), and social comparison as predictors of parental sharing styles. An online survey was distributed among parents, with 299 participants completing the questionnaire. The measures included validated scales of FoMO, JoMO, social comparison, and the Sharenting Evaluation Scale. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the proposed mediation models linking FoMO, JoMO, and social comparison with oversharenting and controlled sharenting. The findings indicated that FoMO and JoMO were significantly associated with oversharenting, with social comparison emerging as a mediating factor. In contrast, none of the predictors were significantly related to controlled sharenting, suggesting that different psychological processes may explain more deliberate forms of parental sharing. This study extends the application of social comparison theory to the domain of digital parenting and highlights FoMO and JoMO as important drivers of oversharenting. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of sharenting as a complex practice shaped not only by social norms and digital affordances, but also by parents’ psychological experiences of connection and disconnection.