The title is a rhetorical question, but hopefully, it grabbed your attention.
Social Media gained popularity with teenagers over a decade ago. It started with Myspace and then evolved to Facebook. Today, Youtube, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Snapchat are just a few popular social media platforms amongst preteens and teens. At first, Social Media was viewed as a novelty, but now that there has been a decade of data, we are finding out the adverse effects and addictiveness it can have on teenagers and adults.
“I’m convinced that within a five-year window, the culture’s gonna shift on young people and smartphones. You’re gonna look at allowing a 13-year-old to have a smartphone the same way that you would look at allowing your 13-year-old to smoke a cigarette.”
Cal Newton – author of Digital Minimalism
Whether this will be the case, I don’t know. But giving a 13-year-old access to social media without any boundaries or not familiar with it yourself is inviting trouble that might pale to giving them a cigarette. I’m not saying that we should not allow social media, but we should be aware of the pitfalls and how it works and not depend on our children to navigate social media by themselves.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
I Peter 5:8
Listed below are a few guidelines that will perhaps help you and your teenager navigate through social media.
Set a minimum age to have a Social Media Account.
To obtain a driver’s license, you must be 16. I’m thankful there is a minimum age to drive! Before your child starts hitting preteen years, you and your spouse might want to consider a minimum age before they can have a social media account. It’s better to set this expectation with your child while they are young before they reach about ten and start sharing the sad stories on why they need to be on Tik Tok. Not allowing your child on social media at a premature age is one of the best ways to curb social media’s harmful effects on teenagers.
Be familiar with the Social Media accounts that you allow your kids on.
Explore the social media platform before you give your child permission to have an account. If you do not know what Tik Tok is, your child should probably not be on it. If there are parts of the social media platform that make you and your spouse uncomfortable, discuss how you will help your child navigate it. Humans (including our children) are curious by nature. It’s a mistake to believe that by sheer willpower, teenagers will not look at things that they shouldn’t.
It would be dangerous to hand the keys over to a child that has never driven and tell them they can go to the store. It’s just as damaging to give our children access to social media without becoming familiar with it ourselves. Being an intentional parent can be overwhelming, especially when helping our children navigate through social media.
Have conversations with your child about social media.
We can’t keep our children locked in a room. There will come a time at the right age that they should have access to Social Media. Talk with them about offensive pictures that can scar them for a long time. How are you going to hold them accountable to do the right thing? What will happen if they look at offensive pictures or leave unacceptable comments. Be clear of your expectations.
When it comes to Social Media, don’t naively trust your child.
You say I can trust my 13-year-old child. They’ve been in church all their life. They would never look at any picture that they shouldn’t. Don’t kid yourself. Like us, our children was born in sin and shaped in iniquity (Psalm 51:5).
They might not go looking for it, but it will find them sooner or later on social media. What will they do if they innocently stumble upon something they should not see?
It can be embarrassing and fearful asking your child the hard questions, such as, “have you been looking at pictures you shouldn’t be looking at?” But we have a responsibility to lead and guide them even when it comes to social media.
You won’t get it perfect.
As a parent, you won’t get it perfect. Social Media is a moving target. You can apply every boundary, and your child might still be exposed to something they shouldn’t. Being actively involved in your child’s social media usage can be overwhelming. However, it is essential for your child’s well-being to set boundaries, be intentional, and be involved.
If you are raising preteens and teens, may God give you the strength and guidance as you navigate through this season of life.
Comments
Thank you for sharing this.
Such a very treacherous realm we deal with when it comes to technology and social media.
Personally I think one of the biggest dangers is we are not honest with ourselves.
The prophet gave us such a desperate warning about television and when you look into the deffinition of television it this all fits into the category of television.
Its really astounding when you realize how much the 4th dimension has increased in our lives. So thankful for a perfect word to bring us to a perfect victory. God bless.