Preschool teachers’ perspectives on sharenting: A phenomenological inquiry

This study explores preschool teachers’ perspectives on parents’ social media sharing of children, often referred to as sharenting. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 40 preschool teachers working in private kindergartens in a large urban city in Türkiye. Using a phenomenological design and thematic analysis, the study examined teachers’ professional observations of how parental sharing may relate to children’s privacy, emotional security, and social development. The findings suggest that teachers generally view sharenting as a well-intentioned parenting practice, yet also associate it with important risks, including privacy violations, the permanence of digital footprints, consent-related concerns, and social comparison. Teachers further described digital privacy as an increasingly significant issue in school-family communication and noted substantial differences in parental awareness. Overall, the study highlights the need for clearer guidance and more consistent attention to children’s digital privacy and rights in early childhood settings.