Social media has become a significant part of life for many — 77% of high schoolers reported frequent daily social media use in a 2023 national survey by the CDC. However, experts say that using these apps too much can be harmful to children and teens.
Traci Hurley, with the Child Protection Team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, says, “It can affect their mental health, but it can also affect their safety.”
She says most experts recommend waiting until a child is in 8th grade before allowing social media. However, since everyone develops differently, she says to answer the following questions:
- Are they mature enough?
- Are they responsible with their belongings?
- Can they take care of the other belongings that they have in the home?
- Can they follow the other types of rules that you already have set in place at home or at school?
Hurley says if the answer is no to any of these, you may want to wait.
She also says that it’s important for the parent to be ready for child to have social media, as once a child has these apps, the parents play a big role in keeping them safe.
Monitor your child’s interactions online, keep communication open about their online experiences, set clear rules and limits for social media use, and — finally — be prepared for difficult conversations around things they’ve seen or done online.
“There’s wonderful resources out there, um, that can have questions that you might not think of to ask kids um specifically about their internet usage and what they do online,” Hurley says.
The CDC says it’s also important for parents to educate themselves about new devices and websites their child is using.
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