Social Media Shaping Infant Safe Sleep Behavior: Understanding Misinformation and SUID Risk by guest blogger, Gillian Brown
- May 6
- 3 min read
While the American Academy of Pediatrics has released guidelines and recommendations for infant safe sleep, parents continue to receive conflicting information about what is best for their baby, especially on social media. While there are clear, evidence-based guidelines for infant safe sleep practices that are best practice to reduce the risk of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), the spread of misinformation and unsafe portrayals of infant sleep on social media makes it harder for mothers specifically to know how to best protect their baby.
Social Media and Images of Infant Safe Sleep
On social media, there is a large discrepancy between images displayed online and recommended infant safe sleep guidelines. One observational study highlights these differences in Instagram images of infant sleep and sleep environments. In the study, researchers found that of 1563 images shared, only 7.49% of those images actually followed the AAP guidelines. When unsafe sleep practices are repeatedly portrayed like this on social media, this can lead to parents assuming these practices are the norm, in turn influencing the behaviors of mothers on the app. Additionally, social media has led to a rise in comparison among mothers. Mothers may see these images and start to compare their behaviors with the behaviors they are seeing online. For instance, mom influencers share their positive experiences with co-sleeping or bed-sharing, and mothers viewing this content may begin to compare themselves to influencers who claim that those who are not co-sleeping are missing out on the “bonding” and “nurturing experiences.” When viewers compare this “perfect” lifestyle video to their own daily lives, experiences, and realities, they may opt to change their behaviors to reflect what they are seeing online.
Health Information Seeking Online and on Social Media
The behavior of seeking out health information online is not new, as women have often turned to Google to search and fill in gaps left by traditional healthcare providers, or outside of the clinical setting. In more recent years, this trend has been amplified by social media sites, like Instagram, highlighting how digital platforms shape health information. On these social media sites, health and parenting advice are given by users sharing opinions and anecdotal experiences, which are not checked by medical professionals. Mothers sharing photos with unsafe sleep practices on their social media are unintentionally spreading misinformation, without realizing they may be shaping the behaviors of other mothers online.
Social Norms, Perceived Severity and Susceptibility
The danger of seeing posts like this on social media is that these depictions of incorrect sleep practices can shift mothers’ perception of risk. Seeing posts of this nature repeatedly can desensitize mothers to the severity of SUID and unsafe sleep practices, changing the perceived severity, susceptibility, or immunity, ultimately leaving them to believe that their baby is not at risk for SUID and that the outcome of not following safe sleep guidelines won’t be that dangerous. Again, with this changing perception of SUID, for instance, mothers who view these posts may see co-sleeping practices as the norm, or something that is even beneficial, in turn potentially leading them to adopt the behavior .
Call to Action
As a final reminder, this blog post is not meant to blame or shame mothers but rather highlights how social media can shape perceptions of infant safe sleep. As you scroll, remember that not everything you see reflects safe sleep practices. When it comes to protecting your baby, following sleep practices recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics is one of the most important things you can do.
As a reminder, the current American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines are attached below.
[1] Moon, R. Y., Hauck, F. R., & Colson, E. R. (2016). Safe Infant Sleep Interventions: What is the Evidence for Successful Behavior Change?. Current pediatric reviews, 12(1), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.2174/1573396311666
[1] Chin, S., Carlin, R., Mathews, A., & Moon, R. (2021). Infant Safe Sleep Practices as Portrayed on Instagram: Observational Study. JMIR pediatrics and parenting, 4(4), e27297. https://doi.org/10.2196/27297
[1] Chin et al. (2021).
[1] Sundstrom, B. (2016). Mothers “Google it up:” Extending communication channel behavior in diffusion of innovations theory. Health Communication, 31(1), 91-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2014.936339
[1] Chin et al. (2021).
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