Parents need to develop strong relationships with their children before their children create social media accounts!  Helping them establish healthy self-esteem beginning at a young age, guiding them, and reinforcing a good conscience can help pave the way in their becoming positive users of social media.  When parents are communicating with them and demonstrating what positive role models are, it can help reduce potential negative experiences children would have encountered, at least in the sense of how they view themselves.   To expand further, societal mores and societal pressures are mutually exclusive.

Several articles about the experiences of young people on social media can be found at the Pew Research Center.  “Teens’ Experiences on TikTok, Instagram And Snapchat,” (Faverio, Park, & Gottfried, 2026) and “Why Many Parents And Teens Think It’s Harder Being A Teen Today” (Faverio, Gottfried, Radde, Baronavski, & Atske, 2024) are two of the items available for examination. 

The responses are from various demographics, and the conclusions are nuanced, especially between parents and teenagers.  One of the disturbing comments from teens is that they believe (falsely) that they are supposed to live up to the expectations of people they have met on social media.

Nagata, Huang, Hur, Li, Helmer, Weinstein, and Moreno (2025) discussed “Health Benefits Of Social Media Use in Adolescents And Young Adults,” which is reported from a clinical perspective.  The authors stated that while there can be negative consequences associated with social media use, there are variables that could make the experiences more enjoyable and fulfilling for young people.

Social media can be a sophisticated universe with various platforms, offering different information.  Also, young people have to understand that real life exists in the present and with people they actually know.  These are people they can call up on the phone or walk up to in person.  Social media can be a valuable communication tool, but they shouldn’t neglect their studies, extracurricular activities, and hobbies.

As an aside, positive opportunities exist if allowed to come into fruition!  Now, more than ever, parents can have a closer relationship with their children in the off chance an unpleasant situation develops from social media use.  The social media angle can be a springboard because the parent is the first line of defense when they tell their children and reiterate that they are there for them, regardless of what they’re going through.

Vikki

References

Faverio, M., Gottfried, J., Radde, K., Baronavski, C., & Atske, S.  (2024).  Why Many Parents And Teens Think It’s Harder Being A Teen Today.  Retrieved From https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/feature/why-many-parents-and-teens-think-its-harder-being-a-teen-today/

Faverio, M., Park, E., & Gottfried, J. (2026).  Teens’ Experiences on TikTok, Instagram And Snapchat.  Retrieved From https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/04/15/teens-experiences-on-tiktok-instagram-and-snapchat/

Nagata, J. M., Huang, O., Hur, J. O., Li, E. J., Helmer, C. K., Weinstein, E., & Moreno, M. A.  (2025, August).  Health Benefits Of Social Media Use In Adolescents And Young Adults.  National Library of Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information. 14;13(1):22

10.1007/s40124-025-00357-7. Retrieved From https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12356748/