It’s easy to lose track as a parent with the amount of social networks that now exist on the internet.
10 years ago everyone was talking about the formation of Facebook; since then we’ve had the arrival of Twitter, Instagram and now Tumblr. It’s hard to ignore the enormous affect social networks are now having on teens.
Whether your tech savvy or completely clueless when it comes to social networking, the reason your my child maybe so hooked on their tablet, laptop or iPhone may not be as simple as you think.
While you should definitely ensure that your child’s activity online is limited and of a safe variety, it’s best to sit down with your son or daughter and talk to them about why they love their online world so much.
Being a teen is not easy, they are going through huge amounts of pressure and changes. As parents we may try to be supportive but we still don’t know what’s really going on while their peers can.
Teenagers find comfort through sharing their own experiences online because the majority of teens are going through same issues. Social media provides a way for your teen to connect to others of their age and reassurance that they are not alone.
Of course we can’t ignore the negative impacts that social media can have on your teen, so it is still essential to chat with your child about being safe online.
Cyberbullying is still another serious issue which is occurring among many teenagers online, so again it’s important that your teen feels safe but also are having enjoyable experience when it comes to their social networks.
There is also the matter of spending too much time online which can not only be bad for your teen’s physical health but also their mental health. If this is the case you may have to enforce a balance when it comes to your teen’s online activity and encourage them to spend more time offline after they’ve spent a certain amount of time online.
By chatting to your teen and understanding their social networking activities, you can be reassured that they are not only have a safe but also healthy experience when it comes to their online world.
