What Social Media Does To Your Child and What You Can Do About It
Evidence about the link between social media and young people's mental health is starting to catch up with clinical judgment, parental intuition, and what a whistleblower reported one company has known for a while.
On March 28, 2023, four mental health experts discussed the latest research on the link between social media and mental health. But more importantly, they shared practical strategies to help you set healthy boundaries, maintain a strong bond with your child, and foster their resilience and self-esteem.
The session was followed by an open Q&A and written answers will be added to this page in the coming days. In the meantime, here are the slides that were used.
How to find more help
If you live in New York or New Jersey and require support for your child, please consider booking a free consultation with one of our therapists.
FAQs From Parents and Caregivers
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The most important thing is being honest with your child. Talk to them about why you’re limiting their access to social media, even when other parents are not. It’s important to emphasize that the decision doesn’t come from parental intuition or a “gut feeling” - it’s what you believe is healthiest based on the real-world evidence you’ve seen. By being honest and transparent, you can help your child understand the importance of boundaries and help them set their own going forward.
Remember, as a parent, you can only control your household to a certain extent. One of the best things you can do for your kids is demonstrate how to think about decisions critically, especially in the case of social media. At times it will be difficult, but in doing so, you empower your child to make good choices when they go out into the world.
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Start conversations with other parents in your community, even if your child isn’t on social media yet. You can begin by talking about what your values and priorities are related to online activity. This shouldn’t be framed as telling other parents what to do, but rather, having an open dialogue about your concerns with social media. You’ll find that many other parents share your same concerns. By collaborating with other parents, you help to create a sense of solidarity within the community. You may also happen to establish similar expectations around internet use, which makes it easier for kids to embrace social media limitations.
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It’s important to set an example for your kids by limiting their phone use and encouraging them to find other ways to spend their free time. Remember, it's okay for kids to be bored and not know what to do. Boredom is what teaches kids to think creatively and find good uses for their time. Especially when kids are young, building this capacity is extremely important.
Using screen time as a reward can reinforce the idea that online time is the end-all-be-all. If the majority of your family time is spent rushing to screens, it further reinforces this message. Because of this, it’s important for families to set boundaries on their children’s screen time, especially during mealtimes and before bed. In doing so, parents can help their children see the importance of time away from screens.
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Pediatricians are really the first line of defense when it comes to protecting our children from mental health issues. Even if they don’t know us as well as our therapists, they’re still the people seeing our children year in and year out. Pediatric screeners for mental health will certainly be important going forward, just in the same way we now get our hearing and vision checked.
That being said, most pediatricians who are in practice today never got much training on how to treat mental health disorders. That’s where the idea of Fort came in - to collaborate with pediatricians to provide nearly instantaneous input from a mental health professional.
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We all want to find ways to reduce screen time without adding more stress to our lives. As parents, don't worry about doing more – that's not the goal. Instead, focus on small, manageable changes. Look for those special 10-minute moments when your child is excited about something other than technology. That's enough.
This isn't about doing more or making drastic changes; it's about finding little ways to enjoy life without relying on technology. They’re all around us, whether it’s in the carpool or while you’re doing the dishes after dinner. Your challenge is to discover these small moments and keep your cool in the face of another seemingly impossible parenting task.
Special thanks to our partners
The session was held in partnership with leading clinicians from:
The Child Mind Institute
A Fort Health partner and the leading independent non-profit for pediatric mental health. Providing care, research, and education to help transform the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning differences.Equip Health
The leading virtual, evidence-based eating disorder treatment program on a mission to ensure that everyone with an eating disorder has access to treatment that works. Created by experts in the field and people in lasting recovery, Equip builds upon Family-Based Treatment (FBT) to empower families to help their loved ones recover at home with the help of a five-person dedicated care team, including a therapist, dietitian, physician, and peer & family mentor.
