The #1 Topic parents ask me for help around is Social Media.
And I’m not surprised.
It really is hard to know how to help your child manage their online world. It’s tough to keep up on all the new apps, and new features of old apps, and to know how much or how little to ask your child about social media.
Recently, I was interviewed for an article in a local paper The Northern Light on this exact topic. My favorite quote was this, “The online world is a new “frontier with no adults where these kids are running wild and trying to figure out how to keep themselves alive. Parents need to treat social media as something that’s not going to go away, and that means that we need to give kids the tools to be able to manage that effectively, keeping in mind that they’re still just kids.”
It’s important to make sure that your child understands that you don’t think social media is evil. Rather, approach conversations around social media with curiosity. Ask them to teach you about their online world and even invite them to give you a “tour” of their favorite apps.
99% of my clients would never admit to their parents that they need a break from their phones, but in the privacy of my office, they admit that keeping up with their image on social media is exhausting. Teens feel pressured to respond quickly to comments, messages, and texts so that their friends don’t get upset. We call this “reputation management.” Teens need to know who is saying what online and they feel the need to make sure that no one is talking badly about them. Girls confide in me that sometimes they wish their phones would just “go away for awhile.” Teens report feeling increased stress and anxiety when they spend too much time on their phones. Statistics show that after 30 seconds scrolling through Instagram, teens feel worse about their lives. But the problem is that they are spending much more than thirty seconds online. Did you know that the average teen spends 6+ hours a day on their phones?
What’s interesting, is that many parents are actually afraid to take away their teen’s phone, but when they do, they tell me that it feels like they have their daughter back. Social media has taken up permanent residence in teenager’s brains making it difficult to be fully present or to concentrate on anything else for an extended period of time.
Here is a link to my FREE resource library where you will find a copy of my eBook, Crucial Conversations (Simply enter your email to gain access to this resource, and more). This ebook will guide you through 5 important conversations about social media you should be having with your daughter. I hope you find it helpful!