By Eleanor King
Practical Guide To Tweens And Teens
Social Media
With the rise of smartphones, laptops, and tablets in the hands of tweens and teens, it’s important for parents to be aware of best practices surrounding social media use and their kids. While the internet can be a great resource, it can also be a metaphorical mine-field of misinformation and hidden dangers. Understanding the Risks Adolescents can be psychologically affected in a number of ways when practicing unsafe behaviors online. According to mental health counselor Katie Lear, “Access to a smartphone comes with serious risks for teens and tweens. Research shows that half of teens are cyber bullied and one third
Dangers associated with online activity include: • Seeing or sharing of violent, sexual, and pornographic content • Experiencing inaccurate or false information and extreme views • Oversharing personal information • Actively or unintentionally getting involved in bullying or hurtful behaviour • Becoming involved with people who have hidden harmful intentions
of teen girls are sexually harassed online. Totally unsupervised smart phone use can expose teens and preteens to adult situations that put them at risk of being manipulated or abused. While many teens will never come into contact with a predator online, for those who do the effects can be very damaging.” Young people may partake in risky behavior for many reasons, but a common occurrence is fear of missing out (also called FOMO) which can lead to feelings of shame or acts of exaggeration, according to internetmatters.org. With still developing minds, if kids encounter harmful or threatening things online they may not know how to cope or handle the situation. This could lead them to engage in or feel pressure to engage in more risky behaviour by accident or by design. Creating online profiles can also lead to developing unrealistic and perhaps depressing ideals of body image and gender. Teens can become subjected to peer pressure or interactions that are intense or too difficult to handle, and may fall into uncomfortable situations that work their way into everyday life.
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