Borderland doctor weighs in on new Instagram accounts for teens

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)– Instagram recently unveiled a new gated experience for teens.

Instagram allows users to connect with friends, family, and other users to follow you and see what you’re up to.

Teen Instagram accounts aim to protect young people and give parents more access and control.

According to the social media platform, teenagers aged 13 to 17 will be automatically registered and their accounts will become private.

Additionally, others cannot message teens unless they are logged in.

Teens will also see less sensitive content from accounts they don’t follow.

Parents will also be able to monitor their children’s activity.

“Instagram accounts for teens are designed to give parents peace of mind knowing their teens are automatically placed in secure, built-in protections,” the company wrote on its website.

Dr. Abraham Lopez, clinical nurse psychologist at El Paso Children’s Hospital, told ABC-7 this is a step in the right direction.

“When we see it from the brain’s perspective. Their frontal lobe is not fully developed. The frontal lobe is what helps us brake, without overdoing it. And so on. So this can have negative implications on social media,” he said.

Dr. Lopez said the frontal lobe doesn’t develop until age 25. He said it helps us maintain our structure and make the right decisions. He said that during adolescence, the brain is driven by emotions.

“When it’s too early in adolescence or preadolescence, social media can actually be a negative element in their development because a lot of what they do is emotional reasoning as opposed to more logical,” explains the professor. said the expert.

He explained that while social media has its benefits, it can also become addictive, especially for younger people.

Dr. Lopez said social media can amplify the mental health issues many teens face.

“Now we already have mental health issues. Let’s say, low self-esteem or some anxiety or depressed mood. And what will happen is that social networks will be strengthened.

Dr. Lopez reminds parents to monitor their children on social media and intervene if necessary.

“Be very involved. And that means there should be a non-negotiable issue between parents and children, in which parents are the rulers of the household and they should dictate some ground rules for how social media will be used.