In recent years, developmental psychologists have become increasingly concerned about how using social media affects teenagers. The time teens spend online can take the place of healthier social interactions that help to inhibit anxiety and depression. Developing healthy social media habits is an art, not a science, that even adults often fail to master. Here are a few guidelines for talking to your kid about good social media habits:
1. Practice What You Preach
If you have any public social media profiles, you should maintain a disciplined internet presence. This means abstaining from venting personal frustrations, getting into political arguments, or communicating with others in any way that you would not want your child to attempt to replicate. Keep your private information private, and do not show photos of yourself doing anything you wouldn’t want your teen doing. While it can seem like your teen does everything, they can to be different from you, kids of all ages model behavior both consciously and unconsciously.
2. Handle Underlying Anxieties
Various research efforts have shown that more posting online is correlated to less happiness offline. Understanding this relationship can be a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg problem. Although people who are depressed or anxious may feel compelled to post online as an outlet, social media itself can create depression and anxiety by allowing people to compare their lives to the carefully curated online presences of others. This is something your teen needs to understand in order to successfully navigate a complicated digital world. Natural anxiety medication for teens can help to break the cycle of anxiety behaviors that social media reinforces. When your teen feels less anxiety, you may find that they become less interested in social media.
3. Don’t Be Overbearing
When you talk to your children, be sure not to judge them or demand that they present themselves differently. Young people are very sensitive about the way others perceive them, and being controlling can often have the opposite effect that you intend. Try to have a conversation with them in which they feel comfortable asking questions of you.
Help them to understand that the things they put on the internet are often there forever, and that privacy is a critical commodity in the modern world. Talking about social media is all about building trust. If your child brings up their anxiety related to social media, you can ask them if they are interested in pills for stress and anxiety over the counter. While there is no guidebook on how young people should use social media, many of the most important points should be fairly obvious to you. Your relationship with your child is unique, and only you can understand their specific needs and concerns.
Growing up in the modern world is more complicated than it used to be. While parenting is at least equally difficult, the core principles of talking to your children still apply. The more trust you can create, the more comfortable your teen will be sharing their online life with you. Make sure that you are listening to their anxieties and concerns, and respond accordingly.
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