Social media concerns

Are they ready to share?

Most social media apps have a minimum age rating of 13.

If a social network has set an age limit it means that some of the content may not be suitable for a younger child.

Recommendations if your child is under the minimum age for a social network and wants to join:

• Research the social network, and find out what type of content your child may be exposed to. Decide whether they’re ready for it. Encourage them to join age-appropriate social networks like Kuddle.
• Discuss if they’re mature enough to handle the type of content they may see on social platforms and if you feel comfortable with them possibly being in contact with adults and strangers.
• We’d strongly advise you to follow the minimum age rating. If you do say yes, use strict privacy settings and either ‘friend’ your child or ask a family member to.

If you’re worried your child is spending too lon on social media…

Talk together so they understand your concerns. Agree house rules on when and how long they can go online and which sites they should visit.

• It’s a good idea to give their eyes half an hour’s rest from the screen before bed.
• If it helps, tell your child that you’re putting your mobile or tablet away too – younger children are more likely to mirror your actions.
• Make use of built-in platforms tools for supervision and monitor chidren use. Popular social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat offer tools to link parent accounts to a child account to allow parents to keep an eye on what children are doing.
• Use device based controls such as Google Family Link for Android devices and Apple Screen Time for Apple devices set limits on what children have access with their buy-in.

Have they shared embarrasing images on social?

Remind your child that these images are their personal digital footprint for years to come and advise them to use settings that only let them share with friends they know.

You can also help them maintain a positive presence online by:

• Encouraging them to think before they share. They should understand that their actions online can affect both themselves and others.
• Teach your child that it’s difficult to keep things private online. Even messages sent between friends get passed on and accounts can be hacked. You should also tell your child not to post anything they wouldn’t want thousands of people to see. If they’re not happy to wear it on their T-shirt they shouldn’t post it online.
• Be a role model so your child understands that you’d never post anything that you wouldn’t want them to see..

Have they been affected by content shared online?

Encourage them to think about why friends may share certain posts. Show them how to gently challenge their friends if they find their content offensive. Remind them they can always talk to you about things happening online.

• Judge what effect the content is having on your child. Ensure they know that they should report abusive or inappropriate content on the social platform and consider blocking anyone that may be saying hurtful things.
• If they are deeply affected by the posts, consider advising them to take a break from the social network and concentrate on other activities that might make them happier.
• If you feel that the comments may be affecting your child’s mental health and wellbeing, it’s best to go and see your GP. Depending on the seriousness of the comments, it might be advisable to file a police report. If you do take this step, make sure you keep some evidence that records what’s happened and how it’s affected them.

Do they know how their actions online can hurt others?

Talk together about peer pressure and how screens and anonymity can lead to behaviour that is hurtful.

No parent wants to think of their child hurting someone online through cyberbullying. To help them exhibit positive online behaviour you can:

• Explain bullying and cyberbullying to your child. Talk about the things they might see or read online.
• Discuss how to respond if they see offensive content online and what might be good, or not so good to share.
• Talk about the blurred line between uploading and sharing content because it’s funny or might get lots of ‘likes’ versus the potential to cause offence or hurt.

I think my child is being bullied on social media…

Stay calm, listen without judging and reassure your child that you can help. Discuss any action you may take together. Encourage them not to retaliate and to save any evidence.

Talking to your children about cyberbullying is as important as talking to them about any other type of bullying. Children who are being cyberbullied usually find it difficult to talk about it and it can be an upsetting, awkward and difficult subject for parents too.

Make sure they know they can talk to you if anyone ever upsets them over the internet or on their mobile phone, and give them the space to talk about anything without being judgemental or getting upset.

Are they chatting to strangers online?

Make sure your child understands that people may hide behind fake profiles for dishonest reasons and the person they’ve been chatting to could easily be someone with bad intentions.

• Remind your child that they should never give out personal information to someone they don’t know online. Make sure they understand what personal information is. According to our research on average 6 out 10 of children’s online friends are not ‘real’ friends offline.
• Be clear with your child that they should never meet someone face to face without your consent. Show them how to block and report anything offensive. Your child should know they can come and talk to you if someone or something is making them feel uncomfortable online.

Have they shared too much personal information online?

Talk to them about who they’ve shared the information with and assess the risk it poses to your child. You can also ask your child to remove the information from their account and help them understand how to share safely..

• Make your child aware of the potential risks of sharing personal content online such as online grooming or cyberbullying.
• Help your child understand how to remove information that could pose a risk to them.
• Check that your child has set their social network account to ‘private’ so their shared information can only be seen by people they know. See our ‘how to guides‘ to find out how.

Does your child have hundreds of social media followers?

Make sure they know that some people may not be who they say they are and tell your child how privacy settings can put them in control of who they talk to.

• Discuss what it means to be a ‘friend’ or a follower online, the pros and cons of having lots of these ‘friends’ and the importance of knowing that they’re people you can trust.
• Be clear that if someone doesn’t make you feel good about yourself, they’re no friend.
• Tell them about not replying to or blocking any followers they don’t know. Make sure they know never to meet up with anyone they have only ever met online and don’t know in person.