One of the huge concerns for parents and teachers is the amount of time that that teens are spending on social media. However, it’s not only the amount of time but also the type of information that they are being exposed to that is of concern. How can you help the teenagers in your life to safely navigate social media?
-Take every opportunity possible to remind teenagers that what they see when they are using social media is only a snippet of people’s lives and may not always be a true reflection of reality.
-Having an open communication style with your teenager will be a great help when it comes to conversations about social media. If your child knows that they can talk openly to you about what they are encountering when they are using social media, they will be more likely to regularly share their experiences.
– Remind your teenager to exercise the same level of caution when they are using social media as they would when they are offline. If they wouldn’t share personal information with a stranger in the ‘real world’, then why would they share this information when they are online?
– For older teens, encourage them to activate the safety settings on any digital devices that they are using, be that a smartphone, iPad or Tablet. Regularly reviewing these settings with your teenager is a good idea.
The important thing about safely navigating social media as a teenager is knowing how to make smart choices with what you share and who you share it with!