Sharing images or videos of minors online: Validation of the Sharenting Evaluation Scale (SES)

Abstract

Sharenting is a current phenomenon of online communication, which is related to the sharing of images of the youngest members of the family (often minors) by parents or relatives, mainly on social networks. However, this constitutes a series of consequences that compromise privacy and may put the child at risk. The aim of this work was to validate the Sharenting Evaluation Scale (SES), designed to assess the degree of sharenting in the adult population, in order to catalogue the type of practice performed through ranges. A rigorous process of design and validation of the scale was carried out on a sample of 146 Spanish adults. Different strategies were used, such as expert judgement, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability analysis using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. After that, the scale was composed of 17 items configured in three factors: implications, social behaviour, and self-control. Finally, the scale showed good psychometric properties, providing a unique and reliable instrument to assess the degree of sharenting performed by an adult.