Social Media: Resources to Help Parents Avoid Cyber Bullying
My daughter is only a toddler, so I have not yet had to face the social media challenges that parents face when their child starts social media accounts. However, as a middle school teacher, I probally see more challenges than some parents are aware of. As a result I wanted to compile some resources to help parents navigate social media and avoid cyber bullying.
-Set Guidelines for Appropriate Use
Even if you forbid your child to have a social media account, chances are they still create one…only you are not aware. Even if your child does not have a phone or you monitor the apps on your child’s phone, all it takes is for your child to borrow a friends phone to create an account in less than five minutes. Yes, I have seen this done by students. They will often come out and say “I borrow a friends phone to check my account”. Therefore, I highly suggest that the parents start the conversation and set appropriate use guidelines that are right for your household before your child feels the peer pressure to be like everyone else.
Listed below are some resources to start the appropriate use guideline conversation.
– https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/social-media-smarts.html
– https://mycrazygoodlife.com/social-media-guidelines/
-Talk about Social Media VS Reality
Social media truly creates a skewed view of reality. My middle schoolers think that everyone can be YouTube or Instagram famous and that you can own expensive things without hard work. Social media supports this theory as people strive to get more expensive or exclusive items to showcase on social media. There are also two types of people on social media, those that always complain about how bad life is or those that make every day seem so amazing that everyone envies them. Both of these type of social media users are looking for a reaction from their friends or followers…and usually get it. As adults we can often see this for what it is, but for an adolescent everything that they see or read is true.
Listed below are some resources to help you have a conversation with your child about the biases of social media.
– https://www.babble.com/tech/social-media-perception-reality/
-Talk about the danger of social media
Lastly, cyber bullying can be a real danger on social media. Either from the viewpoint of a child using social media to damage the self-esteem or threaten another child or from the child being bullied. Cyber bullying can have ramifications at school or even legally with local law enforcement. Having conversations about this issue in advance can help you guide your child away from cyber bullying.
Listed below are some resources to help you have a conversation with your child about cyber bullying
– https://www.stopbullying.gov/get-help-now/index.html
– https://www.stopbullying.gov/blog/2017/12/12/talking-to-your-kids-about-cyberbullying-part-1.html
– https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/cnt/blg/pst-20141031-en.aspx
If you have any useful resources or suggestions to help parents have conversations about social media, leave it in the comments below.
I’m concerned about the issue of social media vs. reality. As I begin to see more and more adults also blurring the lines, I worry about the next generation who only knows a world with social media. I know, every generation has said the same thing about the next one down the line.
Hey Amber, I really like your blog! Thank you for sharing all of the links of resources, they are really helpful.