Social media. Love it or hate it we can’t deny that it has become an integral part of our society. It has integrated itself into nearly every walk of life. Nearly every industry on the planet makes use of social media in some way. And with smartphone technology continuing to advance it is no surprise that social media has become such a staple aspect of the lives of most young people too.
For all the benefits social media brings there are also a lot of risks it presents. Especially to children. So, as a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure your child is being safe while using social media. But how can you do this? It is no easy task. But it is vitally important nonetheless. Which is why we have prepared this guide to help you better protect your child as they navigate through the complicated world of social media.
Education Is Key
So many parents make the mistake of allowing their children access to social media without giving them any prior education about what social media is actually all about. And that is often because too many parents don’t know the truth themselves. And the first and most important lesson you need to impart to your children is that social media is predominantly fake.
They need to understand that a lot of the content they will see posted by influencers is heavily edited and curated. Designed to provide an unrealistic and small glimpse into their lives. And people shouldn’t try to compare their own lives to these standards. They also need to be aware that a lot of fake news is posted on social media. Teach your children that they shouldn’t instantly trust anything they see posted on social media. They should come to you to seek more information or do their own deep research.
You also need to teach them the importance of moderation. Social media is extremely addictive. If your children don’t understand this before they start using it they are more likely to fall into bad habits in regards to their social media usage. Make sure they have plenty of other activities they can do outside of social media.
Don’t Engage With Strangers
This is perhaps the biggest danger presented by social media. The ability for anyone to connect with anyone else on the planet with ease. And this can lead to a lot of problems. Scammers and child groomers will use this ability to cause serious harm to your children if they can.
You need to educate your children on the dangers of interacting with strangers. And this includes popular influencers and content creators. They can happily enjoy the content being made by these people. But they shouldn’t try to reach out to them. All too often we see stories of a popular TikTok star or Twitch streamer who was manipulating their younger fans.
If your children are making new friends online make sure they are telling you about them and allow you to properly vet their profiles. If possible, see if you can get in touch with the individuals they are talking to so you can verify they are who they say they are.
Support Their Social Media Profile
The influencer life is an attractive one. Particularly for the younger generation. Many children aspire to be influencers these days. One of the ways you can keep your child safe is by supporting their influencer dreams, while also helping them handle the risks associated with trying to achieve this lifestyle.
One of the biggest impacts the influencer journey can have on your children is regarding their mental health. It can be quite devastating for them to publish content and not get any new followers or likes. And, of course, negative comments can cause them a lot of anguish.
There are numerous ways you can help mitigate these risks. For instance, some people choose to buy Tiktok followers for their children to help them get started. You should also help them understand that followers and likes aren’t everything. What is really important is the friends they make in reality.
You should also help them understand that the important part of being an influencer is finding the joy in content creation. Posting on social media can be an amazing creative outlet. Allowing your children to push their imagination and build up a plethora of creative and technical skills. Help them in this process. This will be not just a great bonding experience for you and them, but also a way to ensure the content they are making is suitable.
