Children and social media safety

*Parents and guardians should remember that social media is not a necessity, and that not all parents allow their teenagers to use it….. You should be sure that your teen is mature enough to set time limits, maintain healthy friendships, and avoid inappropriate content

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Considering the risks involved, many parents do not allow their children to use social media.

However, if you do allow your teenager to use social media, how can you help him or her both to avoid the negative effects and to learn to be a good digital citizen?

Your teenager’s priorities

What you should know: In view of the addictive nature of social media, your teenager might need your help to control the amount of time he or she spends on it.

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Bible principle: “Make sure of the more important things.”—Philippians 1:10.

To think about: Does use of social media interfere with your teenager’s sleep, schoolwork, or family life? Researchers say that teenagers need about nine hours of sleep per night, but those who spend several hours a day on social media are likely to be getting less than seven hours of sleep.

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What you can do: Discuss priorities with your teenager, and talk about the wisdom of limiting the amount of time spent on social media.

Set reasonable rules, such as no devices allowed in the bedroom at night.

Your goal is to help your teen cultivate self-control—a quality that will serve him or her well in adulthood. —1 Corinthians 9:25.

Your teenager’s emotional health

What you should know: Looking at the digitally enhanced selfies and “highlight reels” of friends’ activities can leave a young person feeling left out, anxious, and depressed.

Bible principle: “Rid yourselves of . . . envy.”—1 Peter 2:1.

To think about: Does social media use cause your teenager to make unhealthy comparisons in regard to personal appearance and body image?

Does your teen feel that everyone else’s life is exciting, while his or hers is boring?

A teenage girl looking at herself in a mirror and comparing her appearance with that of a girl on her smartphone.

What you can do: Discuss with your teenager the dangers of comparisons. Be aware that girls may be more affected than boys, as girls tend to place more emphasis on relationship and body-image issues. You can even suggest that your teen take periodic breaks from social media. A young man named Jacob says: “I deleted my social-media app for a time. It helped me adjust my priorities as well as my view of myself and others.”

Your teenager’s online behaviour

What you should know: Being on social media has been likened to living in front of a crowd. Misunderstandings and conflicts are bound to arise.

Bible principle: “Put away from yourselves every kind of malicious bitterness, anger, wrath, screaming, and abusive speech . . . Become kind to one another.”—Ephesians 4:31, 32.

To think about: Has social media caused your teenager to get caught up in gossip, conflict, or unkind speech?

An annoyed teenage girl looking at her smartphone.

Her mother observes from a distance.

What you can do: Help your teen to understand the principles of good online manners.

The book Digital Kids says: “It is part of our job as parents to explicitly teach that cruelty is not acceptable in any environment—whether it’s virtual or the real physical world.”

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Tip: Make sure your teenager is getting sufficient face-to-face interaction with others.

A young woman named Ellen says, “Calling people on the phone or visiting with them tells me more about them than looking at a hundred of their social media posts.”

Remember that social media is not a necessity and that not all parents allow their teenagers to use it.

If you do allow your teenager to use social media, you should be sure that your teen is mature enough to set time limits, maintain healthy friendships, and avoid inappropriate content.

Discussion guide

The following questions might encourage your son or daughter to open up about the topic of social media.

1.In your opinion, why are some of your friends drawn to social media?

2.Do any of your friends seem overly dependent on using social media? If so, what kind of effect has this had on them?

3.What do you see as the pros and cons of social media compared with those of face-to-face interaction?

4.What can you do to control the amount of time you spend on social media?

5.How do you avoid comparing yourself to your friends when you see their posts?

6. In what circumstance might it be good for a person to take a break from using social media?

Review: How can I teach my teenager social media safety?

Priorities. Help your teenager learn how to monitor the amount of time he or she spends using social media.

Emotional health. Discuss with your teenager the dangers of making comparisons.

Online behavior. Help your teenager to understand the principles of good digital citizenship.(Piece extracted from JW.Org).

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