While going online can have many benefits, sometimes it can also leave young people feeling anxious. Use the guidance below to help your child learn how to manage those feelings.
Anxiety online can stem from unbalanced screen time, negative interactions with others, sensory overload or the content that children see.
Sometimes, children who have anxiety will also use the online space as way to regulate their feelings.
Children with additional needs could need support with:
Balancing their screen time;
Recognising when it’s time to take a break from devices;
Identifying things that trigger their anxiety;
Developing coping mechanisms to support their mental health.
Regulating sensory overload
Sensory overload can come from bright colours, overstimulating sounds or images and constant notifications. This can turn a space that’s enjoyable into one that is overwhelming. However, because children don’t want to miss out, they may still engage in these spaces.
Introducing mindfulness into your child’s digital routine can help manage these feelings. Explore suggestions to help your child develop self-regulation.
Adjusting device settings such as brightness, volume and blue light can also help.
Check-in with your child regularly and after moments where they are particularly anxious. Is there something specific that made them feel this way?
Your child might not be able to name the trigger at first, but regular check-ins before, during and after screen time can help them develop this skill.
Whether transitioning between screen time activities or towards something away from tech, visual timers can help reduce anxiety related to transitions by preparing your child.
Some children might benefit from getting up and moving – going for a walk, playing football – to help them feel regulated when transitioning between activities.
What works for one child might not work for another. Try new habits for a couple of weeks before deciding if something isn’t working. Consistency and persistence can make it easier for an anxious child to get on board with changes.
Navigating social interactions
Some children’s anxiety can stem from difficulties understanding social nuance online. Responses might take too long, emojis might have confusing meanings and jokes can often be bullying in disguise.
You can help ease your child’s anxiety from socialising by trying any of the following actions.
Together, brainstorm reasons why someone might take a long time to respond. You can encourage your child to refer back to this list to help them manage expectations of others.
Come up with a list of emojis and their meanings, using online dictionaries or your/your child’s experiences. This is something that can help your child to interpret the use of emojis in online interactions.
Help your child create habits around stopping to think before sending a comment or message.
When they’re mad or upset, taking a breath, re-reading the comment and even deleting a written message altogether can help reduce anxiety related to what the responses might be.
Giving a name to the pressure your child might feel to stay online can help them identify their feelings.
Talk about when you have experienced FOMO (the fear of missing out) to help them understand how common it is.
Explore strategies to manage these feelings such as redirecting focus to a different activity or taking a break from their device.
Practising social interactions, potential responses and the meanings behind words or emojis takes time. Continue this practise regularly to help your child build understanding or spot patterns to help them.
Developing mindfulness
Some children with additional needs might need support with recognising anxiety before it becomes overwhelming. If they’re anxious online, help them calm down and then talk about the cues that they might have ignored.
Browse some suggestions below to find strategies that work best for your child.
Were they feeling sweaty? Was their heart racing? Were their hands in a fist? Were they breathing fast? Identifying physical cues when they become anxious can make it easier for your child to recognise triggers without needing to match it to an emotion like anger or sadness.
Using fizzy drinks or the traffic light system, decide which feelings and physical cues that lead to anxious feelings mean it’s time for a break.
For example, once your child feels anxious or panicked, the fizzy drink is already shaken up and exploding. So, what comes before that? Helping ‘map out’ these feelings can help your child become a more mindful digital user.
When your child is feeling anxious, what is the escape plan? Is it telling you? Is it going to their quiet zone? Is it switching online activities? Together, decide on what actions they can take when they start to feel anxious – and remind them about those actions regularly.
Avoid asking about triggers and experiences when your child is dysregulated. Wait for them to feel calm again and then talk about what happened.
Were there any cues they missed? Did they experience something new? Check-in regularly and update any systems you’ve created if you need to.
As your child grows and develops, new triggers might appear and new strategies might be needed. Checking in on a regular basis can help both of you stay on top of these changes and try new strategies.
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