How to Manage Social Media as Your Child is Growing Up
A recent report highlights a 17% increase in screen use among teens and tweens in the last couple of years. Among teens, 79% say they use social media and online videos at least once a week, and 32% say they “wouldn’t want to live without” YouTube.
Media, especially social media, can influence how children and teens feel, learn, think, and behave. While there are some positive benefits to using social media, it’s important to also understand the risks and know how to keep them in balance for your child and family.
Here are some tips on managing social media as your child grows up.
1. Set Boundaries and Establish Guidelines
Create Clear Rules and Expectations
The boundaries you set for using social media depends on your child’s age. However, regardless of their age, it’s important to work together to agree on some rules and expectations. For example, they aren’t allowed online within X hours before they go to bed. Or, they can’t go online until they’ve finished their homework.
You can also set timers on devices to limit usage but try to encourage your child to manage this for themselves.
Some parents choose to set up parental controls to stop their child from accessing certain content online. However, oftentimes, children know how to get around these. That’s why you should have a conversation with your child to help empower them to make good decisions for themselves.
Discuss Online Safety and Privacy
Without meaning to, kids can share more online than they should. This may include photos of themselves, what they are doing, where they are or are going, or personal information like birthdays, where they live, or their school’s name.
Help your child understand that sharing this information online can make them easy targets for online predators and others who may mean them harm. Approach this in whatever way is appropriate for your child’s age. Share with them what they shouldn’t post online and examples of things that are OK to post.
Be sure to tell them what to do if they are contacted by someone they don’t know or who makes them feel scared or uncomfortable. Create an open dialogue that ensures your child does not feel defensive or like they need to hide things from you.
Encourage Responsible Digital Citizenship
Digital citizenship is essentially the responsible use of technology when engaging with others. Good digital citizenship can engage kids and show them how to connect and empathize with others, as well as create lasting relationships through digital tools.
Bad digital citizenship includes cyberbullying, irresponsible social media usage, and lack of knowledge about how to safely use the internet. Teaching responsible habits can help protect your child online.
2. Open Communication and Monitoring
Maintain Ongoing Conversations
Talking to your child openly and listening to what they have to say is important. Try not to rush to judgement, and make sure they know you’ll always be there for them no matter what. Your child should feel comfortable talking to and asking you questions about what they experience online, and you should feel encouraged to continue to help them understand how to be responsible.
Monitor Online Activity
While you don’t have to track every single thing your child does online, it can be helpful to have a general idea of what they are doing. This includes awareness of which social media platforms they are on, forums or websites they access, or online games they participate in. You may also want to monitor how much time they spend online.
Recognize Signs of Cyberbullying or Harmful Behavior
Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, such as sending mean, intimidating or threatening messages or posting or sharing harmful or private content about a person (typically with the goal of embarrassment or humiliation).
Unfortunately, it’s estimated that:
Nearly 40% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have been bullied online.
Girls are more likely than boys to be both victims and perpetrators.
Instagram tends to be the site where the most people report experiencing this.
Common signs of cyberbullying and red flags include:
Feeling uneasy, nervous, or scared about going to school or outside.
Nervous or jumpy when texting or using social media.
Upset or frustrated after going online.
Unwilling to discuss or share information about their online activity.
Unexplained weight loss or gain, headaches, stomachaches, trouble eating, or trouble sleeping.
Loss of interest in favorite activities or hobbies.
Seeming depressed, anti-social, or withdrawn.
3. Balance Screen Time and Real-Life Activities
On average, children ages 8 through 12 in the U.S. spend four to six hours per day watching or using screens, and teens spend up to nine hours. Sometimes screens can be used to entertain, teach, and keep kids occupied, but too much can lead to problems.
Encourage Offline Interests and Hobbies
Encourage your children to maintain interests and hobbies offline, like art, reading, music, or sports. Help them to get involved with school programs or clubs or community activities. It’s ok to have fun and do things online, but that should be balanced with offline interests as well.
Establish Screen-Free Zones and Times
To help ensure your child balances online and offline activities, try establishing screen-free time and zones. For example, they can’t use their phone between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., or phones aren’t allowed to be used in the kitchen or their bedrooms. Setting these boundaries will help encourage offline behaviors.
Promote Physical Activity and Face-to-Face Socialization
Children should get a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Encourage your child to participate in sports, take a walk around the neighborhood, go on a bike ride, or other activity. Doing this as a family can also help nurture those relationships.
Additionally, face-to-face socialization can help your child establish trust, boost active participation, enhance conflict resolution, and be prepared for situations like school and even future employment.
Enroll Your Child in an Extended Care Program
In today's digital age, it's becoming increasingly important for parents to prioritize a balanced lifestyle for their children, ensuring they have ample opportunities for socialization and engagement with others beyond screens. Enrolling your kids in an extended care program can play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. These programs provide a structured and supportive environment where children can interact with their peers, develop valuable social skills, and engage in enriching activities that promote holistic growth. By offering a break from excessive screen time and fostering real-world connections, extended care programs empower children to lead more balanced lives and cultivate meaningful relationships that will positively impact their development in the long run.
4. Be a Role Model and Lead by Example
Demonstrate Healthy Tech Habits
Some examples of healthy tech habits include:
Not checking your phone first thing in the morning.
Making family dinners or activities phone-free.
Don’t sleep with your phone next to you.
Don’t use your device within an hour of bedtime.
Limit Personal Device Use
If you’re on your phone all the time, your child will emulate that behavior. Try to limit your screen time or time spent on social media. For every minute you spend on your phone, try to spend the same number of minutes with your device put away.
Engage in Quality Family Time
Family dinner nights, family game nights, walks around the neighborhood, and other activities done as a family can help reinforce the importance of building in-person relationships without the distraction of a device. It can also help your child feel closer to you, and they may be more open and willing to share.
5. Educate About Digital Literacy and Online Etiquette
Teach Critical Thinking and Media Literacy
There’s a lot of information on the internet, and a lot of it is fake or not trustworthy. Help your child to tell the difference between reliable and unreliable sources. Share that not everything they see on social media is real life, that oftentimes people use filters or stage situations that are not real. This will help them understand that while media plays a big role in our society, it can’t always be trusted or admired.
Address Cybersecurity and Online Scams
Teach the importance of things like:
Not going to websites, clicking on links, or opening emails from people they don’t know.
Not sharing their personal information anywhere or providing it to anyone.
Never meeting up with someone in real life that they meet online.
Help your child to understand that anything you post on the internet could be used against you in some way. Also share with them that by clicking or opening something from someone they don’t know, they could be opening the door to hacking or someone stealing their information.
Instill Kindness and Respect in Digital Interactions
23% of students admit that they’ve done or said something mean or cruel to another person online. Share with your child that things they say and do online can really hurt someone, even if they don’t mean to. That it’s important to treat people online the same way they would treat them in person.
In Conclusion
The internet and social media are a constantly changing world, and as much as you may want to, it’s impossible to keep your child 100% away. When they are at an appropriate age, introducing them to social media can actually help them be more responsible internet users, but it’s important you manage their usage as they grow up.
While doing this, set boundaries, encourage open communication, balance screen time with offline and family activities, be a good tech role model, and educate your child about the importance of digital literacy. It doesn’t all have to happen at once but should be continuously enforced as your child grows.
Contact Caliday for the Best Before and After School Care Programs in Maryland
Enrolling your child in a Maryland extended care program like Caliday can help them – and you – get support and guidance for proper social media usage. It can also provide an outlet for offline learning, socialization, and play.
Contact Caliday today to learn more about our programs and begin the enrollment process today.
