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Social media has taken over our lives to such a large extent that not a day goes by without scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Kids today are much more tech-savvy than adults and are quite significantly influenced by it in their day-to-day lives. It’s terrifying to think about how much it could negatively impact them and even shatter their confidence. Teens have started to gain their sense of self and build their confidence based on something as superficial as social media. And cyber bullying is so prevalent among kids and teens that your child could end up being a perpetrator or a victim.
Social media could also be a major distraction when they could be spending that time doing productive work. The time that could be used in figuring out their talents and interests, developing a hobby, or focusing on their studies is wasted by mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and Twitter. Social media is uncharted territory for most parents and it can be hard to retain some parental control over the fast-paced social media life of your teen. Here are 5 ways you can help your teen navigate through social media:
1. Learn The Basics
Most parents think it’s okay to hack into their child’s account without their knowledge. This however breeds distrust and your kid would hesitate to come to you for help even if they want to. Instead, ask them to share their phone password as well as the login credentials of their social media accounts. This way you will be able to keep track of what your child posts online and the people he/she is engaging with.
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2. Be Ready To Learn
Develop an interest to learn about the apps your child is using. Ask them to teach you how it works and also to show you their accounts. Not only will this make it easier for you to monitor their accounts, but it can help you bond with your child over social media and learn about new technologies.
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3. Teach Them About Appropriate Social Media Behavior
Navigating through social media can be tricky since we don’t get a first-hand experience on the damages we can cause to others through social media. It is easy and comfortable to post mean comments and remarks about someone by sitting behind our laptops or phones. Help kids understand that words hurt regardless of how one chooses to do it. At the same time, encourage them to feel confident about speaking up if they see someone getting bullied online. Guide them on how they can help the person by reporting the incident to a coach, teacher, or even you.
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Help them be mindful of what they post online, whether it is pictures, comments, or a random post. Will the post be hurtful to others in any way? Are they confident about portraying such an image to their friends, family, and teachers? Would they regret posting it after a while? Create awareness about their actions and ask them to thoughtfully consider every post and comment they put online.
4. (Not) Sharing Their Passwords
Talk to your kids about not sharing their personal information such as passwords with anyone else. Tell them the only other person who should have access to it should be their parents. Help them understand that such personal information should be treated with care and not given to their friends or boyfriends as it could easily be misused.
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5. Limit Social Media
Setting some ground rules is extremely important as teens can easily become addicted to using social media all day long. The best way to limit their exposure to social media is figuring out how long you wish to give them social media access at home. Set some house rules such as not allowing them to take any of their devices to the bedroom.
Technology is developing faster than we could ever imagine. And no matter how much we try to regulate and control it, we are always going to be two steps behind. So, the best thing one can do is teach our kids how to navigate through it by respecting the online safety and privacy of themselves and others.
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