Parent Oversight of Social Media

Social media is strongly impacting the growth and development of children according to a study by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). When we think of social media, often the sites that come to mind are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and other very obviously social sites. However, many online sites geared toward children are actually social media sites such as gaming sites, virtual worlds, YouTube, and even blogs as they allow the users to make social connections.

According to the AAP study, “Engaging in various forms of social media is a routine activity that research has shown to benefit children and adolescents by enhancing communication, social connection, and even technical skills.” However, as children and teens are still developing self-regulation skills and are more susceptible to peer pressure, the use of social media sites can put youth at risk for negative outcomes such as bullying, sexting, depression, access to inappropriate topics and content, privacy issues, increased exposure to user specific advertising, sleep deprivation, and addiction related to social media and internet use.

There is good news! Parents are in a strong position to help regulate their child’s use of social media. The AAP suggests that parents respect the minimum age for use of a Web site. For many sites, 13 years is the age. This age minimum was set by Congress in the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which prohibits Web sites from collecting information on children younger than 13 years without parental permission. Other sites geared toward children, such Pokémon GO, may not have a minimum age and parents should become familiar with the site prior to allowing its use.

Other ways parents can work to reduce the negative influences of social media are:

•        Talk to children and adolescents about their online use and the specific issues that today’s online kids face.
•         As a parent, work on your own participation gap by becoming better educated about the many technologies your child is using.
•         Create a family online-use plan that involves regular family meetings to discuss online topics and check privacy settings and online profiles for inappropriate posts. The emphasis should be on citizenship and healthy behavior and not punitive action, unless truly warranted.
•         Supervise online activities via active participation and communication, as opposed to remote monitoring with a “net-nanny” program (software used to monitor the Internet in the absence of parents).

For more information visit the AAP’s Healthy Children’s Site for “Internet and Your Family” tips.