Child Instagram stars, mummy blogs: should parents post their kids’ lives on social media? ‘Sharenting’ concerns, and why mums and dads do it

Photos of Singapore-based Leia and Lauren, identical twins now aged five, have been posted on Instagram since they were born. People around the world have enjoyed their antics, their daily activities and travels around the world with their parents, Peter Lok and Ember Yong.

With 314,000 followers, the Instagram account @Leialauren is an example of a successful “mummy blog”. Its success has seen Lok, 44, and Yong, 37, collaborate with many brands, earning free stays worldwide, toys and meals, among other things. Although they are unwilling to say how much they make from the twins’ social media presence, it’s known that successful mummy blogs in Singapore can make up to S$25,000 (US$19,000) per sponsored post.

The word “sharenting” has been coined to describe sharing the joys and challenges of parenthood on social media through streams of photos, videos and stories. But should parents be more concerned about what they make public?

From the delivery room to teenage years, from potty training to losing a tooth, little of their early lives is private for some children, documented through blogs, tweets and posts across social media. A 2016 British study found that by the time children turn five, an average of 1,500 photos of them will have been posted on social media, creating a significant digital footprint long before they’re old enough to know what it means.

“Our kids’ security is our top priority, so we hardly [ever] do live sessions or live check-ins, especially when we’re travelling, to avoid exposing our current locations,” Lok says. “Almost everything shared on our page is posted after the events.