Usage of social media platforms have grown immensely in the past few years and children have adapted to it quite well. It has not only become a medium of expression but it also allows young kids and teenagers to make social connections.
There is a lot of explicit content on social media and the constant comparison of lives, position and other things can have a negative impact on their mental health.
As parents, it is natural to be concerned about the impact of being on social platforms, having access to all kinds of YouTube videos and playing video games.
The effects can also be seen in the behaviour and a few habits may even become a permanent part of their lifestyle. To keep a balance between online and offline life, parents can regulate social media usage to ensure the online world doesn’t have a negative impact on their life.
Here are some tips that will help parents moderate social media usage.
- Keep a common device for internet usage for young children. If they love playing video games and watching videos, you can ask them to use a common device. Having a personal device may increase their screen time.
- Use parental controls on your devices. This blocks explicit content, videos and keywords that are not appropriate for children.
- Google and Yahoo allow parents to set up child accounts. You can create their profiles on social platforms and monitor them.
- Encourage them to indulge in sports and talk to their friends on video calls instead of texting most of the times.
- Educate children about the negative effects of social media and how they can be a responsible internet user.
- Fix their screen time and make sure the online world is only a part of their life and they do not obsess about being a part of it.
Try to keep an eye on their online activities all the time and try to create a healthy and safe space for them to communicate with you in case they need any guidance.
