Social media can create a lot of anxiety for teens and their parents. Kids feel like they are not connecting, and their parents fear losing their kids to the internet. In addition, the rules seem to be constantly changing, and there is no way to catch up.
The truth is that there are no hard and fast rules for using social media. The best thing you can do for your child is to teach them the difference between healthy and unhealthy use of technology and then trust their judgment. The technology itself is not going anywhere, so we need to change our attitude towards it.
We need to understand the differences between different platforms and how our children use them. And we need to remember that ultimately we can not control what our kids do online, but we can control how we react.
If your kids tell you that they are using social media, do not make them feel like it is wrong or an embarrassment. It is what it is; they are doing it, it is not hurting anyone at this point, so why make them feel bad about something normal for their time?
Instead, let them know that social media is a great place to practice presenting themselves to the public. How do they want to be perceived by the world? Do they want to come across as intelligent and funny? Mysterious and artistic? Nerdy with a cool vibe?
Let them know that it is up to them to create and shape their online avatar.
Let them know about its danger and how they can best protect themselves from harmful individuals. Reassure them and tell them that they can come to you with any question or concern, that you will have their back no matter what. Your role as a parent is to love them unconditionally and keep them safe. This will help build trust and push them to open up to you.
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