FFFSocial Media and Your Child

No. 100; Updated 2025

Social media plays a big role in the day to day lives of children and teens today. There are positive aspects of social media, but also potential risks. It is important for parents to help their children use these sites responsibly.

Potential benefits of social media include:

  • Staying connected to friends
  • Finding community and support for shared interests
  • Creative pursuits, such as sharing artwork or music
  • Expressing themselves via posts or comments

Potential risks of social media include:

  • Exposure to harmful or inappropriate content (e.g., sex, drugs, violence, etc.)
  • Exposure to dangerous people (such as in the context of sextortion or trafficking)
  • Cyberbullying, a risk factor for depression and suicide
  • Radicalization or exposure to extreme ideas
  • Oversharing personal information
  • Exposure to inappropriate advertisements (e.g., cannabis, nicotine, fast food)
  • Privacy concerns including the collection of data about teen users
  • Comparison to unrealistic peer profiles, which damages self-esteem
  • Interference with sleep, exercise, homework, or family activities

Children and teens need support and education to develop the skills to manage their social media use. There are many ways to help your child learn to use social media sites responsibly. It's important to talk with your child about their social media use including:

  • Family rules, including consequences for inappropriate use
  • How parents will monitor their online activities
  • What youth like about social media and what they don’t
  • Types of distressing situations kids can run into, and how to respond
  • What type of behavior is acceptable or unacceptable
  • What to do when others say mean things or ask kids to do inappropriate things (e.g., send a nude photo or meet a stranger in person)
  • What to do when encountering content involving drugs, self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders

Consider the following suggestions depending on your child's age and maturity:

  • Friending or following your child's social media accounts with an agreement about whether you will or won't post or respond to their posts
  • Screen-free times or zones such as "no screens at the dinner table," "no screens in bedrooms", or "no social media use until homework is done"
  • Encourage mindful use of social media and frequent breaks
  • Ensuring that privacy settings are turned on to limit access to personal information
  • Instructing teens not to share full names, addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, passwords, and bank or credit card numbers
  • Having notifications and location enabled services turned "off"
  • Helping teens refine their social media feeds by blocking and unfollowing content that is inappropriate or distressing
  • Exploring parental controls which limit internet access to age-appropriate sites.

If you feel your teen is spending too much time on social media, is repeatedly upset by their use, or becomes involved with risky behaviors, talk to your pediatrician, family doctor, or a trained and qualified mental health professional. They can help you and your child develop safe and appropriate rules regarding social media use.