Helping Our Kids Navigate the Digital World in a Safe and Healthy Way
In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness month, we are continuing our dive into the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on social media and the mental health of our youth.
The onus of mitigating the potential harms of social media should not be placed solely on the shoulders of parents and caregivers,but here are 7 steps they can take to help protect and support children and adolescents against the risk of harm.
#1. Create a family media plan.
Agreed-upon expectations can help establish healthy technology boundaries at home – including social media use. A family media plan can promote open family discussion and rules about media use and include topics such as balancing screen/online time, content boundaries, and not disclosing personal information. For information on creating a plan visit www.healthychildren.org/MediaUsePlan.
#2. Create tech-free zones/
Since electronics can be a potential distraction after bedtime and can interfere with sleep, consider restricting the use of phones, tablets, and computers for at least 1 hour before bedtime and through the night. Consider keeping family mealtimes and in-person gatherings device-free to build social bonds and engage in a two-way conversation.
#3. Encourage children to foster in-person friendships.
Help your child develop social skills and nurture his or her in-person relationships by encouraging unstructured and offline connections with others and making unplugged interactions a daily priority.
#4. Model responsible social media behavior.
As kids often learn behaviors and habits from what they see around them, try to model the behavior you want to see. Parents can set a good example of what responsible and healthy social media use looks like by limiting their own use, being mindful of social media habits (including when and how parents share information or content about their child), and modeling positive behavior on your social media accounts.
#5. Teach kids to be responsible online participants
Discuss with your kids the benefits and risks of social media as well as the importance of respecting privacy and protecting personal information in age-appropriate ways. Have conversations with them about who they are connecting with, their privacy settings, their online experiences, and how they are spending their time online. Empower and encourage them to seek help should they need it. Get guidance from experts at AAP’s the American Psychological Association‘s Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence.
#6. Report cyberbullying, online abuse and exploitation.
Talk to your child about their reporting options, and provide support, without judgment, if he or she tells or shows you that they (a) are being harassed through email, text message, online games, or social media or (b) have been contacted by an adult seeking private images or asking them to perform intimate or sexual acts. You or your child can report cyberbullying to the school and/or the online platform, or your local law enforcement. Visit CyberTipline, Take it Down, or contact your local law enforcement to report any instances of online exploitation.
#7. Work with other parents.
Work with other parents to help establish shared norms and practices and to support programs and policies around healthy social media use. Norms and practices among parents facilitate collective action and can make it easier to set and implement boundaries on social media use for our children.