Promoting A Healthy Mind and Body in Youth: Social Media Safety

Promoting A Healthy Mind and Body in Youth

Hi Parents and Caregivers, are you looking for some support to navigate challenging topics with the youth in your life? Maybe you are unsure of how to explore tough subjects like social media, bullying, consent, boundaries or peer pressure. Through this blog we will be focusing on a preventative approach which will help you set your household up for success when it comes to the kids and teens in your life.

Social Media Safety

Are you a parent or caregiver that struggles with screen time guidelines and the increase of access to social media platforms? Well you are not alone, parenting in a world of social media is tough. However, we have some ideas that will help you navigate the unknown world of technology platforms that our youth engage in.

First, screen time is a privilege, unlike safety, love, food, clothing, shelter and belonging which are important life necessities, screen time is not. Therefore, setting rules around screen time in your home is essential. Have a concise family meeting where you discuss screen time rules within your home, and then sticking with the proposed rules is important. If your youth does not honour the rule, then following through with the consequence consistently is important.

Second, screen time should only be used in common spaces in the home. When youth use screens in common spaces it promotes healthy check-ins by the caregiver and decreases the temptation to be involved in unhealthy screen habits such as excessive engagement, access to unhealthy images and videos and connecting with unsafe individuals.

Third, take some time to learn about the social media platforms and video games your kids are engaging with. You can do this by playing a video game with your kid, asking open-ended questions about what your youth’s friends are doing online, sitting in the room while they spend time on these platforms and downloading the apps yourself to see what it is all about.

Fourth, learn about parental controls and what you can do to block inappropriate content in your household. Speak to other parents and see what they use to ensure their kids and teens are safe online, be open with your family on why you are doing this and why protection is important for their well-being.

Fifth, talk to your kids about never sharing private information, videos or images. Be preventive, chat with your youth about no matter what someone offers them that sharing nudity, undergarment or bathing suit pictures or videos is never safe; and can cause a lot of heartache, shame, and embarrassment. Remind your kids and teens to never share their location, full name, date of birth, home address or any other identifying information with anyone online.

Lastly, discuss with your kids what online bullying looks like, and how nothing ever goes away when it is shared or posted publicly. Remind them what they say and do online can impact their jobs, sports teams and promotions down the road. Encourage them to never share photos or videos if it is sent to them, but instead speak to a trusted adult immediately. And remember screen time is a privilege, so healthy guidelines are important.