How Much is "Too Much" Monitoring Social Media Use in Children and Adolescents?
by Amber Stapleton (Psychologist) - BA(Psych) PGDIP(Psych) MA(Psych)
February 2020
by Amber Stapleton (Psychologist) - BA(Psych) PGDIP(Psych) MA(Psych)
February 2020
The use of technology by children, adolescents and adults has increased substantially over the past decade, consequently changing the way individuals across the globe interact and communicate with one another. Many children and adolescents are spending an extended amount of time on social media platforms such as snap chat, Instagram, TikTok, online gaming, and Facebook to communicate with their friends, build new social ties, and keep up to date on what’s happening in the world. Though there are benefits to social media use, it is important to be aware of how much time your child is spending on these platforms and to implement appropriate monitoring and restrictions/limitations where necessary.
How much Social Media Use is “Too Much”?
Research has indicated that adhering to a maximum of 30 minutes of social media use per day ultimately leads to better mental health outcomes and decreases the risk of anxiety and depression in children, adolescents and adults (4). If you know your child is exceeding this amount, it may be a good time to think about ways to help them to cut back.
However, how do you ever really know how much time your child is spending on social media? New tracking apps such as Mamabear, Qustodio, Bark, and Net Nanny can help parents to monitor the child’s daily internet activity, and can be great if you are worried about cyberbullying, or inappropriate content popping up through internet searches or gaming. The downside of using these apps of course is that it may cause conflict in your relationship with your child, leading them to feel their privacy is being invaded, and ultimately driving them to set up secret accounts to avoid being monitored.
Whether or not you choose to use a monitoring app or simply suspect your child may be over-doing it on social media, some key behavioural changes to look out for in your child which may confirm that they are spending too much time online include: (1):
If you notice any of the above, it’s a good time to talk to your child about limiting the amount of time they are spending on social media, and to think about healthy technology use.
However, how do you ever really know how much time your child is spending on social media? New tracking apps such as Mamabear, Qustodio, Bark, and Net Nanny can help parents to monitor the child’s daily internet activity, and can be great if you are worried about cyberbullying, or inappropriate content popping up through internet searches or gaming. The downside of using these apps of course is that it may cause conflict in your relationship with your child, leading them to feel their privacy is being invaded, and ultimately driving them to set up secret accounts to avoid being monitored.
Whether or not you choose to use a monitoring app or simply suspect your child may be over-doing it on social media, some key behavioural changes to look out for in your child which may confirm that they are spending too much time online include: (1):
- Withdrawing from face to face social interactions
- Phones creating conflict in their closest relationships
- Avoidance of responsibilities
- Reduction in academic performance
- Increased anxiety, and overwhelm around normal routines
- Spending excessive amount of time online (most days or nights) to the detriment of other activities (particularly those that were previously enjoyed)
- Changes in self-esteem and self-worth
If you notice any of the above, it’s a good time to talk to your child about limiting the amount of time they are spending on social media, and to think about healthy technology use.
How Can I Reduce the Amount of Time My Child Spends Online?
An ideal place to start is to talk to your child about your worries of excessive social media use, and why you feel it may be becoming more of a problem. Once your child understands your concerns, talk together with them around setting appropriate limits, listening to their input and asking for ideas. This may include discussing with your child the appropriate and inappropriate times to use social media e.g. during family meals, homework time, school time, or hanging out with friends. By doing so you are helping to build their responsibility, so that your child learns to be accountable for their actions. Additionally, you may want to discuss with your child how long they can spend on social media (recommended 30 minutes per day), and outline times of day for planned breaks (2). If your child is spending 3 hours per day on social media, you might start to gradually cut back by 30 minutes per day or week, and continue to do so until they’ve reached an appropriate time. In addition to this, you may also encourage your child to spend time engaging in face to face communication through hang outs with friends, sporting activities, or taking up a new hobby or activity. With all this said, as a parent it is important that you too model appropriate social media use in the household by limiting the amount of time you spend checking your phone, give your child full attention (3), and educate your child on how to be safe online.
How to Ensure My Child Is Safe Online:
There are a few ways to ensure your child is safe online:
- Educating your child to not share personal information like phone numbers, home address, location
- Regularly checking the privacy and location settings on their phone
- Keeping passwords in a safe place
- Reminding them not to share inappropriate photos with anyone, no matter how trusting they may be
- Blocking and reporting people that are unknown to the child
- Using monitoring apps as listed above
Sources
1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/artificial-maturity/201803/parent-s-guide-social-media-use-kids
2. https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/entertainment-technology/digital-life/social-media
3. https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/
4. Hunt, M., Marx, R., Lipson, C., and Young.J.(2018). No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology (37),10, 751 – 768.
1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/artificial-maturity/201803/parent-s-guide-social-media-use-kids
2. https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/entertainment-technology/digital-life/social-media
3. https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/
4. Hunt, M., Marx, R., Lipson, C., and Young.J.(2018). No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology (37),10, 751 – 768.