*Nurul Hidayah Hanani, Wan Nurin Safiyya Wan Ahmad Faizal, Syafila Kamarudin

Abstract:

The increasing prevalence of parents sharing their children’s personal information on social media, known as sharenting, has raised concerns about its potential impact on young adults’ privacy, autonomy, and mental health. Despite growing scholarly interest, research examining the consequences of sharenting on young adults’ mental health remains limited. Grounded in Baumrind’s Theory of Parenting Styles, this study investigates the relationship between parenting communication styles, sharenting practices, and the mental health of Malaysian young adults. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 205 respondents through purposive sampling. The findings reveal that parenting styles significantly influence young adults’ mental health, with authoritative and permissive parenting showing positive associations, while authoritarian and neglectful parenting being linked to poorer mental health outcomes.

Keywords: Sharenting, parenting communication style, digital parenting, digital exposure, social media