The impact of social media influencers on pregnancy, birth, and early parenting experiences: A systematic review

Background: Pregnant and new parents are increasingly engaging with social media. The impacts of engaging with social media ‘influencers’ and ‘bloggers’ during a time of heightened vulnerability to influence, in particular, merits exploration. Aim: To systematically review the literature to identify what is known about how following social media ‘influencers’ and ‘bloggers’ impacts pregnant and new parents’ experiences and decision-making. Methods: A search of CINAHL, World of Science, Medline, EMBASE and Google Scholar databases was undertaken in January 2023 to identify the literature focusing on the impacts of engaging with influencers or bloggers as pregnant or new parents. The reference lists of the included papers were hand-searched. Data were extracted from each paper, tabulated, and thematically analysed. The review was reported using the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Findings: Seventeen papers met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final synthesis. Thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes, which were ‘sharing information’, ‘support’, ‘identity’, and ‘monetisation’. Discussion: Social media influencers provide a network of peers amongst whom discussions, supportive behaviours, and information sharing take place. However, concern arises around the potential for combative interactions, the risk for transmission of misinformation, and the potential impacts of following influencers who are also qualified health professionals. Conclusion: Existing research suggests that engaging with social media influencers can be both beneficial and harmful for pregnant and new parents. At the current time, it is unclear how exposure to the benefits or harm impacts personal experiences and decision-making. Keywords: social media, early parenting, pregnancy, influencers, bloggers, systematic review