Social media influencers in the space of pregnancy and parenting: A scoping review protocol

Abstract

Introduction
Social media influencers (SMIs) are popular sources of online information on various topics, including many aspects of health. Recently there has been an upsurge in SMIs creating content about pregnancy and parenting, including from midwives, pregnant women, and parents. Despite its popularity, SMI content on pregnancy and parenting is not currently regulated which allows for misinformation and potential harm to women and their children. Research has also found that most women do not discuss the information they access online with their healthcare providers.

This is the first scoping review to map the existing evidence on SMIs in the context of pregnancy and early parenting.

Methods and analysis
The scoping review will be conducted from May to December 2024 and reported using guidance from Arksey and O’Malley and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Ten academic databases will be searched for relevant studies, using keywords and subject headings for the concepts of “social media”, “influencers”, “pregnancy” and “parenting”. All primary and secondary research studies of pregnancy and early parenting SMIs will be included. Two authors will screen the identified studies for eligibility. The risk of bias of the included studies will not be assessed. Extracted data will be presented in tables and will be described narratively.

Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval was not needed for this scoping review. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences, posted on social media, and presented to relevant groups.

Registration details: The review is registered with the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/7v4qb)