Teaching Your Child to Use Social Media Responsibly

Social media is a big part of our lives now. And as children get more accustomed to the world of social outlets they too want to get involved. It therefore feels tempting to let them explore these different channels, but they should know what they would be letting themselves in for.

A lot of risky behaviour, cyberbullying and scams can happen on social media like they can do when browsing online safely. It’s all about showing your child how they can use social media responsibly and safely. In this guide we’ll look at exploring how your child can learn to use social media correctly and safely.

Set up privacy settings beforehand

With anything revolving around children online, there are also filters and privacy settings in place on social media. This can help children to dodge inappropriate content as they’re on social media. Tik Tok and Instagram are completely different to a platform like Twitter. This is why the content your child may find should always be set up with privacy in mind.

Talking to your child’s teachers and friends

See what your child’s friends are doing when it comes to social media. Are they even using social media at all? This is a good gauge to see what age social media is appropriate for your child.

You can also talk to your child’s teachers on a casual level. Teachers at all levels will be aware of social media and its impact it will have on children, and so have a range of wellbeing and support programmes for their students.

Helping your child understand the impact of social media

There are a lot of risks to browsing online in general, so when adding social media into the mix it can bring a new set of problems. Show your child how these can impact their mental health and how they perceive themselves online. Also talk about the importance of being kind online as well.