Thriving Kids Episode Examines Effect of Social Media on Children
Friendships, social status, and identity become increasingly important to children as they grow up.
Adolescence has long been a time when friendships, social status, and identity are important to young people. But unlike previous generations, many of those experiences are playing out online.
The latest Thriving Kids podcast episode examines how social media affects children in these and other areas.
Learn More
In the episode, Dave Anderson, PhD, senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education at the Child Mind Institute, joins Linda Charmaraman, PhD, a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women and founder and director of the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab, for a discussion on the matter.
Charmaraman’s research tracks children from middle school through high school and how social media shapes their lives over time. During the podcast, the discussion focuses on what young people say about how social media affects their well-being - from the ways it can help them find support and community to the pressures it can create around comparison, exclusion, and self-esteem.
Anderson and Charmaraman also talk about why prohibiting social media use entirely may not prepare children to manage online spaces later, and how caregivers can set limits while keeping communication open.
Strategies
Thriving Kids also provided some strategies that caregivers can use for helping young people navigate social media in a healthy manner.
Caregivers should model healthy behavior when it comes to devices. Children should be used to seeing their faces - not the top of their heads bent over a screen. Try to establish tech-free zones and hours in the home that apply to everyone, including caregivers.
If a child is on social media, it is reasonable to follow their accounts, but experts caution against going through texts without good reason. Starting from a place of trust strengthens a relationship and makes it more likely that a child will approach a caregiver when something goes wrong.
Activities that help children develop real-world skills - such as sports, music, volunteering, or creative projects - help to build a sense of self that doesn’t depend on likes or followers. When children feel good about what they do, rather than how they look online, they’re better prepared for challenges.
To learn more, watch the Thriving Kids podcast episode.