Social media is a minefield of danger for teens, exposing them to extreme content such as anorexic “thinspiration,” drug culture, hardcore pornography, suicide glorification, and even predatory grooming. . Algorithms push the darkest parts of the internet onto your screen, sometimes with devastating results.
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Amid increasing pressure from Washington, D.C., and outraged parents, social media platforms are finally taking action. They are rolling out long-awaited tools to help monitor children’s online activity, giving parents and guardians the ability to protect their mental health and safety by giving them control over what their teens are exposed to. You can be attentive.
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Know your Instagram settings
From the Family Center, you can see how much time your child spends on apps (even though you can’t see what they’re doing). You can set daily time limits and set times for the app to go into “sleep mode” so you don’t receive notifications.
It starts with an invitation. Connect with your teen in the Instagram app by tapping their profile picture (bottom right), then tapping the menu button (top right), then tapping Family Center. You can also do this from your side by selecting “Monitor” from the same menu.
This illustrated photo shows social media applications on an iPhone screen (Photo credit: Jaap Arrians/NurPhoto, Getty Images)
Two-way rules: You can have strict rules or have Instagram warn you if your child exceeds the limit. They may also ask for more time to use the app, so be prepared to negotiate.
Put “you” on YouTube
You can’t see what your kids are watching on YouTube or set time limits, but you can get alerts when they start a live stream or upload a new video. . You can also see who has subscribed and commented on your videos.
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Connect: Open the YouTube app on your phone, tap your profile picture (bottom right), tap the gear icon (top right), and select (Family Center). Tap (Invite Teen) to ask her to supervise your child’s girlfriend’s YouTube account.
Keep communicating: This won’t work unless you talk to your teen about this and explain how it will keep them safe. They can kick you out of your account at any time, so you may need to rely on your diplomatic skills fairly regularly.
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This photo illustration shows the Snapchat logo on an iPhone in the Apple App Store. (Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Image/LightRocket, Getty Images)
Limit chat on Snapchat
You can’t see your teen’s Snapchat messages or private photos or videos (which is probably for the best), but you can see who they’re friends with and who they’ve chatted with the most in the past seven days. Masu.
Team up with your teen: Make sure you’re friends with your teen through the Snapchat app on your phone. Next, tap your profile picture (top left), then tap the Settings gear icon (top right), then tap Family Center to set up a parent-to-child link.
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More control: There’s also a toggle switch to limit your teen’s access to content labeled as “sensitive” in Stories and the Spotlight portion of Snapchat. Additionally, you can disable your teen’s access to AI bots within Snapchat.
Action plan for parents
Remember when you had a fake driver’s license or told little lies to get what you wanted? Kids have a way of getting around parental controls, and when signing up Know how to spin the birth year wheel and get around age restrictions.
Have a passcode for your phone: You need to be able to access everything at all times. If you’re paying for the phone, make this non-negotiable. Even if parents don’t check, knowing that a child is at risk is a good deterrent against risky behavior. Set limits: Use built-in app controls to monitor how much time you use apps and tools like content filters to limit your exposure to anything inappropriate. Friend or follow them: Stay connected on social media and see their circles and interactions. Without open dialogue, they will find ways around you. Learn about “Finsta”: “Finsta” is slang for a fake Instagram account, and over 50% of high school girls have one. This is a space where children can post their photos and opinions without filters.


Instagram logo displayed on a cell phone in Boston, October 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
talk to your child
I have been open and honest with my son from a young age about the dangers of social media and the internet. I didn’t do it to scare him, he did it to explain why he had certain rules in place. Once I found out why, it felt like we were on the same team. If you need help, get a free technology contract for kids.
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