Delaware students Maxine and Vivian Ruggerio aren’t immune to the allure of social media.
But they also believe that most teens are struggling to navigate the online world. From perfectly edited images to overtures from strangers, social media presents a minefield of challenging issues.
The sisters are working on an e-book to provide tips to teens who want to protect their mental health and personal safety while online. As they researched their book, they conducted a survey of peers, discovering that 100% of their respondents used social media. More than half said social media made them feel stressed or bad about themselves. And more than half felt that more controls are needed, such as added privacy or safety features.
Maxine and Vivian joined psychologists from Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware in a recent panel discussion on teen mental health and social media. Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings; Delaware State Rep. Krista Griffith; State Senator Kyle Evans Gay; and Jon Cooper, director of health and wellness for the Colonial School District in Delaware, provided perspective on legal and behavioral issues.
It’s no secret that most teenagers spend hours per day online, with social media sites like TikTok and Snapchat providing endless scrolls of entertaining content. But evidence is stacking up that heavy use is damaging kids’ mental health, said Leah J. Orchinik, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist with Nemours Children’s. She cited recent research that showed that young teens who spent more than three hours a day on social media have double the normal risk of depression and anxiety.
Parents should be on alert for signs that their child is spending too much time online, Orchinik said. These could include having only online friends; lying about their usage; sleeping poorly; and developing problems with activities, relationships, or school functioning.
Meghan Walls, PsyD, Director of External Affairs at Nemours, has observed similar issues in her patients, who have experienced cyberbullying, negative body image, anxiety, and unwanted sexual contact. She said many teens appear open to receiving more guidance from parents or other trusted adults.
Orchinik and Walls suggested that rather than taking kids’ phones away, parents should ask kids to show them their accounts, and ask questions to help the kids build self-monitoring skills. For example, parents could ask:
- What have you seen that made you feel scared, uncomfortable, sad or jealous?
- Do you ever use social media to numb your feelings when you’re upset?
- What do you notice about your mood after you spend an hour on social media?
Orchinik and Walls suggested more strategies for parents and caregivers who want to help children use social media safely:
- Set boundaries. For a younger teen, starting with one social media platform is a good idea. If the child uses it responsibly and is fulfilling school and family responsibilities, they could add another.
- Have the child make their accounts private, which helps block unwanted contact. Encourage the child to limit chat functions.
- Encourage screen-free activities, whether sports, the arts, or community involvement.
- Create a family media plan with screen time limits.
- Talk about sources of information and misinformation, including photo editing and artificial intelligence.
- Encourage teens to speak up if they view concerning content.
In addition to these tips, KidsHealth recently published new articles on Teaching Kids to Be Smart About Social Mediaand Mental Health and Social Media Use: What Parents Can Do. These resources are part of the Nemours mission to create the healthiest generation of children.
