Rev. Soc. Bras. Enferm. Ped.2024;24:eSOBEP202408.
Promotion and use of pacifiers on Instagram: posts by mothers and commercial establishments
DOI: 10.31508/1676-3793202408i
Abstract
Objective
To identify the promotion of pacifier use in posts related to motherhood on Instagram.
Methods
Qualitative study based on data collected from public posts on Instagram, with the help of previously selected hashtags, in which their contents were explored by Bardin’s Content Analysis (2009), using the Brazilian Standard for the Marketing of Food for Infants and Young Children and Nipples, Pacifiers and Bottles (NBCAL) and the Consumer Defense Code (CDC) as reference.
Results
Thirty-seven materials were collected, including posts and comments, from mothers and online stores, separated into the groups “Maternal reports on pacifier experiences”, in which mothers shared their positive or negative experiences, views, advice and anxieties with the use of the pacifier, and “NBCAL-infringing marketing”, with commercial promotion and misleading advertising. The supposed benefits of the pacifier are widely publicized by mothers and stores. Mothers establish a virtual support network among themselves, encouraging the use of pacifiers as a reassuring agent. Stores are also engaged in marketing that is harmful to mothers who are vulnerable and insecure about caring for their children.
Conclusion
The use of pacifiers in Instagram posts was widely promoted by both mothers and commercial establishments. The urgent need to publicize NBCAL and promote and protect breastfeeding through public policies, actions by health professionals and civil society became clear.