How to Support Healthy Social Media Habits in Children:
each Out Centre for Kids (ROCK) is the largest accredited mental health agency in Halton, providing mental health services for children and youth from birth to 17 years of age and their families. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, ROCK shifted its service delivery from in-person to virtual in order to continue offering necessary mental health services for children, youth and their families. ROCK understands that now more than ever our young people are being inundated with information right at their fingertips. This quick access to information can greatly impact the way our young people see themselves potentially resulting in low self-esteem, anxiety or depression, and can negatively affect the overall well-being of our youth. One of the biggest concerns that comes from communicating over social media, texting, etc., is that messages, comments and sharing between youth can be quite severe. The cell phone for many youth seems to act as a shield in which cruel comments and posts about peers, acquaintances or even celebrities are shared without a second thought – comments which would likely never be said by these same young people in a face-to-face interaction. In this way, it becomes a vicious cycle. Young people are bombarded with “photo-shopped” images displaying unrealistic appearance ideals as well as glamorous lifestyles that seem unattainable, as well as dangerous, harmful or problematic actions. This can create immense insecurity and low self-esteem in our most vulnerable youth. This insecurity can By Erica Crews PREFERREDPUBLISHING.CA | 13
