The Trouble with Online “Sharenting”

Social media featuring intimate family moments is popular and lucrative. It also comes with serious risks for kids

- DANYA HAJJAJI

ON SEPTEMBER 8, PARENTING AND LIFESTYLE influencer Jordan Cheyenne posted a tearful YouTube video updating her 538,000 subscribers on the family puppy, Rosie. The dog had just been diagnosed with canine parvovirus, a frequently fatal disease. Sitting beside her in the front seat of their car, Cheyenne’s 8-year-old son cries.

Then Cheyenne, fighting back tears herself, says, “I know she’s going to make it through. She’s a beautiful, amazing little girl and I can’t wait to bring her home and be part of our family. So if you could pray for us, we appreciate it. I love you guys. Bye.”

That’s probably where she meant to end the video. But the post that went up also included several additional seconds of Cheyenne coaching her son to look more convincingly upset for a thumbnail to go with the video. “Act like you’re crying,” she says, demonstrating an anguished expression. “Let them see your mouth.” The boy says. “No, Mom, I’m actually crying”.

The post prompted a flood of outraged comments, ranging in tone from concerned to vicious, and quickly went viral. Cheyenne got death threats. Her son was targeted in harassing messages. She soon took down the video and issued several public apologies. Appearing on another YouTuber’s channel, The Dad Challenge Podcast, she said, “I am disappointed in myself that in that moment, I prioritized the YouTube, the thumbnail, the acting over [my son’s] genuine emotions.” She also announced she would stop involving her child in future videos and take a break from YouTube to focus on his mental health. Cheyenne did not respond to Newsweek’s request for comment.