Francis Callaghan lives in Australia and uses social media daily to connect with his friends. This is one of a series of articles Francis is writing to educate parents/guardians and kids about the online world, from a kid's point of view!
Hi everyone! Today, I want to talk about something that affects all of us kids: social media and how it impacts our mental health.
As someone who uses social media every day, I've noticed both good and bad things about it, and I want to share my thoughts with you. If you're curious about what apps kids are using, check out my other article about what social media and messaging apps 12-13-year-olds are using.
The good side of social media Let's start with the positive stuff! Social media helps us:
- stay connected with friends, especially during holidays or when we can't meet in person.
- share our achievements and get support from others.
- learn new things through educational content.
- find communities of people who share our interests.
The challenges we face But it's not all fun and games. Here are some things that can make us feel not so great:
- Comparing ourselves to others and feeling like we're not good enough
- FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) when we see friends hanging out without us
- Pressure to get likes and comments
- Cyberbullying and mean comments.
What can we do about it? Here are some tips that help me maintain a healthy relationship with social media:
- Set time limits - I use screen time settings to make sure I'm not spending too much time online (my parents wrote about our family's approach in what screen time settings we use).
- Take breaks - Sometimes I have 'offline days' where I focus on other activities.
- Be selective - I only follow accounts that make me feel good or teach me something.
- Talk about it - I share my feelings with my parents or friends when something bothers me online.
A message to parents and guardians Parents and guardians, we know you worry about us, but the best thing you can do is keep the conversation open. Ask us about our online experiences, but try to understand rather than judge. Help us find a balance between online and offline activities. My Dad wrote about the digital ground rules in our family if you want to see how we handle it.
Remember, social media isn't going away, but we can learn to use it in a way that's healthy and positive. It's all about finding the right balance! If you're interested in how apps like Snapchat affect us, check out my article on why Snapchat is so popular among teens.
