Knowing How to Set Appropriate Limits on Social Media For Your Children
Social media is inescapable; sooner or later our children will create their own accounts. As parents, it’s our job to make sure that when they do so, they’re being safe and responsible. That means setting limits with our children when it comes to internet use.
Children of different ages have different needs, however, and that’s what makes setting these limits harder. How do we know when to set limits and when to trust our children? How do we know what limits to set, specifically?
It’s not an easy topic to navigate. Knowing what rules to set and when isn’t instinctual, but there are a few tips we can follow to make this easier for us that will benefit our children as well.
Responsibility
Everything depends on how responsible our children are. If they’re around ten years old and are constantly losing their belongings, if they’re generally irresponsible, then we might want to postpone getting them their own phone, for example. After all, this proves we can’t trust them. If they create social media accounts, we might ask for their login information. We wouldn’t be using it to spy on them, of course. It’s just in cases of emergency. We want to make sure they’re not being bullied, for example.
On the other hand, if our children are older and more responsible, we might not necessarily ask them for their passwords, but we’ll still follow them on social media. After all, they’re still growing, and it’s our responsibility as parents to look out for them, even in online spaces.
Internet Safety Rules
One of the first things we should teach our children is basic internet safety rules. The younger they are, the better. And it’s essential to add to these rules as they grow. For example, we might not feel the need to warn our younger children against sending inappropriate pictures to others, but it’s definitely something we want to bring up with our older children.
They should all be aware of the basics, however. They should know not to tell strangers their full names, their addresses, or any other private information. And it’s our job, as parents, to make sure our kids understand how important this is.
Screen Usage Rules
The younger our kids are, the less time they should spend on screens. Sure, a video call with their grandparents won’t hurt anybody, but watching too many videos or playing on apps, no matter how age-appropriate, can be harmful to their development. That’s why it’s important to limit the time our young children spend online, especially on social media.
It doesn’t hurt to set rules with our older children. They likely need to be set anyway. For example, teenagers who are old enough to drive should know not to text and drive. There can be additional rules set, like no screens during meals.
Our priority is to ensure our kids are safe and are doing well. Social media and wellness don’t always go hand in hand. That’s why we have to set up these rules.
Tech Addiction
Another reason why we should set limits on our kids’ use of social media is tech addiction. Of course, not every child with a phone is necessarily addicted to it or to social media. Still, it’s good to keep this in mind as we encourage our kids to live their lives outside of phones and computers.
Parenting isn’t easy and setting limits with stubborn children is no walk in the park. If, for whatever reason, you need additional help parenting, Fox Child and Family Therapy can help. Reach out to us at 913-229-5691 for help with how to set appropriate limits on social media for your children today!