Do you want to protect your teenager’s social networks? Here are 5 tips

Published: October 14, 2024

Do you want to protect your teenager’s social networks? Here are 5 tips

Movieguide® Contributor

With 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 on social media, many parents are concerned about their children’s well-being, and they should be, according to clinical psychologist Emily Kline.

She shared five ways parents can help their teens protect their social media. The first tip is to “never make social media profiles public”.

“Many kids who grow up with social media have thousands of followers by the time they graduate high school. » said Kline, author of “The School of Tough Talks: How to Have Real Conversations with Your (Almost Adult) Children.” »

“If your teen is hesitant about making their accounts private, you can ask them, ‘What don’t I understand about the way you want to use this platform that you prefer it to be public?’ “,” Kline said. “Children tend to think of privacy in relation to their parents or teachers, but Internet fame can be attractive to some.”

Safe search for children adds that it is important to be wary of your friends and follow their requests. Parents should ask their teens to only accept requests from people they know in real life and who have authentic profiles. If something seems fishy, ​​teens can confide it to their parents.

Kline recommends that children not share their full names or birthdays. They should try to think of a pseudonym, which can be a good “creative task”.

The next piece of advice is to “never post harmful or embarrassing content.”

“Posting screenshots of private conversations or embarrassing photos or videos of another person can escalate into cyberbullying,” Today said.

“Get a head start by asking your teen why they think this is happening or how they would feel if they received it,” Kline said. “Ask if your child has ever seen something like this or if they would be tempted to do it to someone else.”

She encourages parents to develop empathy in their teenagers, which will prevent them from adopting such behaviors.

According to the APPseveral studies have found that online harassment can be more harmful to psychological health than in-person harassment.

Movie Guide® reported How parents can help teens avoid cyberbullying:

Dr Carmel Taddeo and Professor Barbara Spears from the University of South Australia described five strategies that their research has shown that they help children cope with negative interactions online.

• Build your child’s self-esteem and confidence.

• Be a model of positive communication – listen, negotiate, assert yourself and be respectful.

• Provide your child with opportunities to communicate with others, both face-to-face and online.

• Ask how your child feels about their relationships and friendships.

• Remember that online connection is not an indicator of social connectivity

Kline’s third tip is to “never treat social media as a children’s space.”

Online predators often pose as teenagers, and harmful content can be created and shared at any age.

“Parents may want to occasionally sit down with their teens while they scroll, to observe what’s happening in their News Feed,” says Kline. “If you see a lot of content about dieting or videos that seem mean-spirited, for example, that’s a clear indication that perhaps those accounts should be blocked.”

The fourth tip is to remind teens that they should “never think that everything needs to be recorded.”

“Make sure teens can put their phones away during the school day, while hiking in the woods or at a concert, for example,” says Kline. “Remind teens that (documenting) every moment can harm the present.”

She says keeping things private from social media is “proof” that social media isn’t a complete representation of someone’s life.

The fifth tip is to “never avoid talking about social media with your family”.

“Your child may not be following the rules you set when they first got a smartphone,” says Kline. “Teenagers can only absorb so much information.”

You can ask about the latest app, the latest drama, or how social media plays a role in their lives,” says Kline. “Children might find your questions entertaining – or hilarious – and would love to talk to you about them. »

Kline adds that parents need to bring up the subject often. Rules can only be enforced if parents are aware of what their teenagers are doing.

“If you hope to influence what happens next, it’s through conversations with teenagers,” she says. “This way they understand your reasoning and present problems to you. »