{"id":22381,"date":"2023-06-13T17:08:22","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T17:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomforall.com\/parent\/?p=22381"},"modified":"2023-06-20T15:57:07","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T15:57:07","slug":"teens-social-media-readiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomforall.com\/parent\/teens-social-media-readiness\/","title":{"rendered":"When Are Kids Ready for Social Media?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat require users to be at least 13 years old to create accounts (in accordance with federal law), it isn\u2019t uncommon for young people to lie about their age to gain access to the site or app. By accessing these platforms before age 13, however, children and preteens are at an increased risk of encountering inappropriate content and\/or contact from older users.<\/p>

As caregivers, it\u2019s important to build some awareness around how these social media sites work, what the appeal is for our young people (even if we are not users), and how to keep our kids safer while using them.  <\/p>

When Should Kids Have Their First Social Media Account?<\/h3>

Preteens and teens are anxious to connect with one another \u2014 particularly after feeling such a lack of connection during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This is driven, in part, by the fact that preteens and teens are developmentally designed to need peer-to-peer connection and to place heavy emphasis on the importance of friends. For these reasons and more, your kids may want social media accounts to connect with their friends \u2014 and others \u2014 at increasingly younger ages. <\/p>

A report by Common Sense Media<\/a> revealed that roughly half of all kids have some form of social media account by age 12. When they looked even closer, they found that 80% of teens ages 13-18 have their own social media account, and only 23% of preteens ages 8-12 have an account. Given that the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (C.O.P.P.A.) prevents companies from gathering data from children under the age of 13, we can infer that large numbers of preteens are lying to gain access to these accounts, either with or without their caregivers\u2019 knowledge. <\/p>

So, when is the right age to have their first account?<\/strong><\/p>

There is no one correct age for their first social media account, though some professionals<\/a> suggest waiting at least until the eighth grade, or when they show a growth in maturity. This is a family decision. It is not advisable, however, to allow their tween to lie about their age online \u2014 the slope is far too slippery. <\/p>

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Tips Before Your Tween or Teen Gets Their First Social Media Account<\/h2>

Whether your young person gets a social media account before or after age 13, here are some critical safety measures you should help them take. <\/p>

Educate Yourself on the Platforms<\/h3>

Take the time to learn about the social platforms they wish to use and walk through the set-up with them. As you do this, be sure to lock down and apply all privacy settings possible. <\/p>

Make sure that only people who your young person has friended will be able see their profile or any content they post, and emphasize the importance that they never post publicly. In addition, return to the platforms regularly to ensure that their privacy settings remain up-to-date and active. Many social media sites regularly add security settings and it is wise to take advantage of those when offered. <\/p>

Set Up Strong Passwords<\/h3>

Help them set up a strong password to help prevent fraud, hacking, and identity theft. Passwords need to be strong, long, and unique. No online site or app should use the same password as any other. To make it easier to generate and \u201cremember\u201d unique passwords, tools like LastPass<\/a> can be very useful. <\/p>

As a caregiver, you should have access to the password for all social media sites at all times, and should conduct spot-checks inside your young person\u2019s account. Although some adolescents will find ways around this, it is an important piece in the larger puzzle of safety, the focus of which should be helping young people ultimately develop their own sense of responsibility.<\/p>

Turn Off Location Tagging<\/h3>

Although GPS features are useful when using the maps feature of a phone, all other location-tagging should be turned off and disabled. Make sure that your young person understands the importance of never allowing themselves or their phone to be geotagged through a social media post or other phone app, including through \u201ccheck-ins.\u201d <\/p>

Further, children need to understand the importance of never sharing personal details like phone numbers, their address, or school location, and should never discuss having been somewhere on social media until after <\/strong>they have returned home. <\/p>

\"Teen<\/figure>

Emphasize Good Digital Wellness & Citizenship<\/h3>

Establish rules and guidelines for practicing good digital wellness<\/a> and citizenship (time and location limitations, online behavior, content limitations, etc.) and online safety and consider agreeing upon and signing a contract for behavior.  <\/p>

Only Accept Friend Requests From People You Know in Real Life<\/h3>

Establish a clear rule that your young people are only to \u201cfriend\u201d people or accept two-way connection requests from people they know in real life. Unfortunately, the internet and social media are key places where predatory behavior and other criminal intentions are permitted to flourish. <\/p>

If their account is already established, ensure their account is set to private vs public.  Go through their friends and followers list with them and ask them to remove anyone they don\u2019t know (and trust). <\/p>

Remind them that on certain social media platforms (Instagram and TikTok) they can still enjoy the benefits of following their favorite bands, artists, sports stars, and celebrities while maintaining a private account and not allowing those individuals to follow them back. <\/p>

Further, don\u2019t just tell<\/strong> them to block, unfriend and\/or report anyone who makes harassing, threatening, or inappropriate comments \u2014 walk through the steps and actually show <\/strong>them how to do it and then check back in a few days.  <\/p>

Audit Their Page and Posts<\/h3>

Help your young person look at their page and posts and remove any personal or inappropriate images or content. Discuss implications of posting such content, such as safety concerns with online exploitation or even consideration for their personal and eventually professional reputation.<\/p>

Acknowledging the Addictive Nature of Social Media <\/h2>

Everyone has read or heard of the potentially addictive nature of digital devices, including cell phones.  And, when it comes to managing a young person\u2019s cell phone and social media usage, it is far easier to establish healthy boundaries and rules <\/strong>around social media usage before<\/strong> they get their first phone or social media account rather than after. But, if you have never set rules around these things, or if you are observing any of these \u201cred flag\u201d behaviors in your young person, it may be time to establish\/reinforce some new guidelines. <\/p>

Signs Your Teen Might Be Addicted to Social Media<\/h3>