Teenagers On Social Media Too A lot? What Specialists Need You to Know

THURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (HealthDay Information) — Is your teen looking at their smartphone all day? There’s many issues dad and mom can do to guard children from the possibly damaging results of social media, consultants say.

Whereas there are constructive points to social media, there’s proof it could pose dangers to teenagers’ mental health as a result of points comparable to bullying, body image considerations and different social pressures.

“The fact is that social media is a part of the world we dwell in, and it isn’t going away,” stated Mari Radzik, a medical psychologist within the division of adolescent and younger grownup drugs at Kids’s Hospital Los Angeles.

“We won’t simply take away our youngsters’ telephones or computer systems. It is about determining how we are able to information them on utilizing and navigating these instruments,” Radzik stated in a hospital news release.

Some indicators of social media-related issues in teenagers embody adjustments in temper, consuming and sleep habits, in addition to isolating of their room. In such instances, dad and mom would possibly wish to start a dialogue about their teen’s social media use by utilizing “I” as an alternative of “you” statements, Radzik prompt.

As an alternative of claiming, “You are on Instagram means an excessive amount of and that is unhealthy for you,” strive, “I observed this and I am actually fearful. Can we speak about it?” In case your teen would not wish to discuss at that second, allow them to know you may be there after they really feel prepared.

“Berating will make a teen shut down,” Radzik stated. “Or generally dad and mom will dig by means of their kid’s social media accounts and that may really feel invasive. The strategy has to come back from a spot of caring and concern, quite than one thing punitive or accusatory.”

Mother and father ought to verify in ceaselessly and take note of their teenagers’ media use, stated Sarah Voyer, lead social employee within the division of psychiatry at Kids’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Mother and father might wish to ask their teenagers how they use social media — do they share updates with their mates, comply with sure celebrities or influencers, or are they looking for some form of recommendation or assist — and the way they really feel after they use it, Voyer stated.

Should you’re sure that social media is affecting your teen’s mental health, counsel they take a break and even delete their account.

“There are some children who can break the cycle, and generally it takes the father or mother to assist with that,” Radzik stated.

Earlier than a baby begins to make use of social media, dad and mom ought to set parameters, in line with Radzik.

“It may be problematic when kids are given common entry to cellphones at an early age,” she stated. “I perceive the necessity to use it at instances, particularly age-appropriate materials. However as dad and mom we have to encourage a curiosity of the world round them and use creativity instruments quite than depend on social media on a regular basis.”

Extra info

For extra on kids and media, see the American Academy of Pediatrics.