Speaking of Teens
#55: How To Protect Your Teen’s Mental Health From Social Media
This week’s episode is a continuation from last week, episode 54: “Big Social Media”, The Surgeon General And Teen Mental Health. You may want to go back and have a listen to that episode first.
We know that social media’s not all bad for our teens but it’s certainly easy to blame these platforms for the adolescent mental health crisis. Afterall, continuous scroll, targeted algorithms and the like make it all too easy for teens to mindlessly stare at their phones for hours on end. And so many teens’ body image and self-worth is based on their comparison to influencers’ filtered and photoshopped images.
But luckily, there are steps you can take to help preserve your teen’s mental health as they navigate life through social media. The scientific research tells us that keeping them safe is not only about the external controls you place on their social media use but also the ongoing conversation, guidance, and coaching you provide.
If you’re the parent of carer of a kid on social media, you really should join me for this week’s episode as I review the recommendations included in recent national mental health advisories by both the American Psychological Association and the Surgeon General. You’ll walk away with actionable advice and resources to help you, help your teen.
Access TRANSCRIPT here.
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Sources, Resources and Mentions:
American Psychological Association's Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence
Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth mental Health
Common Sense Digital Citizenship in Schools
Common Sense Social Media Test Drive
National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids has a great presentation and Pdf regarding general internet safety and some fabulous Tip Sheets!
ReachOut Australia has some great tips on keeping with with privacy settings, etc. on your teen's social media
To keep up with Social Media Trends, set up a Google Alert for "Teens and Social Media Trend" or "Social Media Challenge"
Getbadnews.com (really cool online game that teaches spotting false info online!)
Spotthetroll.org (shows you real Instagram Account posts to see if you can tell if it's from a real account or a bot! It's really interesting.)
2021 Study in Child Development on Signs of Problematic Social Media Use
Episode 32, 33, and 34 (cyberbullying sexting and sexploitation and the reporting)
Connect Safely's Guide to Talking to Teens about Hate Speech
Bark's Guide to Talking to kids about Hate Speech