海角大神

Two million likes in the first hour. Even for Beyonc茅 Knowles-Carter, that is an impressive rate.聽

One week ago, Ms. Knowles-Carter announced the birth of her twins with husband Jay-Z on Instagram, and the photo has since amassed more than 9.8 million likes. Knowles-Carter, arguably the most famous pop star in the world, frequently posts photos of her family on social media. Her Instagram post announcing her pregnancy on Feb. 1 is currently the most-liked photo on Instagram with 11.1 million likes.聽

But a friend of Beyonc茅鈥檚 and fellow star, Blake Lively, has taken a different approach to fame and motherhood. Ms. Lively鈥檚 two daughters with husband Ryan Reynolds are absent from the actress鈥� Instagram account and the private couple made their first and only public appearance as a family in December.聽

Beyonc茅 and Lively are public figures, but their differing stances on motherhood and social media reflect a debate that goes beyond Hollywood. 聽聽聽

鈥淸T]hey represent two very different ways of parenting in the digital age when it comes to Instagram and an image-based social network,鈥� says Catherine Steiner-Adair, a clinical psychologist and author of the book, "The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age."聽

Increasingly, young mothers across the United States have strong opinions on 鈥渟harenting.鈥� Those who favor using Instagram say the platform is a great way to share everything from first steps to zoo visits with distant family and creates a living photo album for their child to look back on. Those who oppose online sharing say it invades their child鈥檚 privacy with unknown future implications.聽

Mothers on both sides of the debate, though, cite relationship-building as one main reason behind their 鈥渟harenting鈥� stance. Some find camaraderie through new virtual friendships, while others choose to deepen existing relationships through face-to-face sharing.

鈥淎t their best, the motives are similar. It鈥檚 to connect, to share, to be known, to be seen, to have a sense that you are not alone,鈥� says Dr. Steiner-Adair. 鈥淏ut the medium that you use to nourish those appetites for connection can vary widely.鈥�

The Beyonc茅s

Samantha Eason, a mom in her mid-20s from St. Louis, says she went through a hard time after the birth of her son Isaac.聽

鈥淢y husband lost his job, all my friends were on the East Coast, and I felt really isolated,鈥� says Ms. Eason. But building an online community with her 12,700 Instagram followers 鈥� some of them also young moms 鈥� helped.

According to a 2015 poll by C.S. Mott Children鈥檚 Hospital, 72 percent of parents say social media helps them feel not alone. And a Pew Research report from July 2015 found this sentiment was much stronger among mothers: 80 percent of mothers say they receive parenting support from social media, compared to 65 percent of fathers.聽

Dani Nemeh is one of the friends Eason has made on Instagram. Ms. Nemeh, a young mom from Orlando, Fla., similarly credits her 66,000 followers with helping her through parenting struggles such as morning sickness or the sleeping patterns of her 2-year-old son Charlie.聽

鈥淭hey will offer me advice from the most loving place,鈥� says Nemeh. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice you can be there for someone who is going through something, even if we have not met.鈥�

The Blakes

Many parents, however, have concerns about online sharing. The poll from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital also found that 68 percent of parents worry their posts share private information about their child.聽

鈥淭he teacher in me always thinks, you need to be the biggest advocate for your child,鈥� says Julia, a mom from Boston who preferred to only use her first name. She does not share photos of her two daughters on Facebook or Instagram. 鈥淚t all comes down to privacy and my children鈥檚 innocence鈥� Why post them for the whole world?鈥�

Anti-sharing moms say it can feel uncomfortable asking family or friends to avoid posting photos, and they often feel left out in their mommy-groups. But they also say being 鈥渟harenting-free鈥� has actually helped strengthen relationships by requiring in-person sharing.

鈥淚nstagram is a great way to connect and get in touch with people,鈥� says a young mom from Florida, also named Julia. 鈥淏ut I hope we stay in touch so we can get together in person, either have dinner or a playdate in real life鈥� Hopefully we can share those moments together, face-to-face.鈥澛�

The American Academy of Pediatrics published a study in October recommending that pediatricians educate parents on the dangers of oversharing. The first 鈥渃hildren of social media鈥� are now entering adulthood, says lawyer Stacey Steinberg in the study鈥檚 abstract, so the future implications of parents鈥� digital footprints鈥� are still unknown. 聽

But a happy medium is definitely possible, says Sarah Clark, co-director of C.S. Mott Children鈥檚 Hospital National Poll on Children鈥檚 Health. 鈥淎nd the first step towards that is being cognizant. It requires parents making really specific choices for their kids, and knowing that these choices may be different than the ones they would make for themselves.鈥�

Eason, the mom from St. Louis, says she has learned to be more wary of social media posts. Instead of including specific geo-tags in posts featuring Isaac, for example, now she will now just add a generic citywide tag, or none at all.

鈥淚t is not all butterflies and rainbows on here,鈥� says Eason. 鈥淚 have to be careful.鈥�