Teenagers and social media

If you don’t know how certain social networks operate, the best way to learn is to get your own accounts and start using them. By using them yourselves, you will truly understand how they work, including any privacy issues, and can offer your teen practical advice as well as moral guidance on how to use social networks. 

Don’t expect your teen to become your friend though – that isn’t very cool!

If you do want to connect with your teen, The Parent Zone recommend creating a profile for a family pet, which may then persuade your child to befriend.

Spending too much time looking at a screen can be detrimental to  your teen’s health so make sure you do discuss how much time they are reasonably allowed to be glued to a screen, whether it’s their laptop or mobile phone.

Create some screen rules together. These could include no texting during meals, no computers in bedrooms and no surfing or TV until homework or chores are done. You will also need to abide by these rules – teens learn by example after all!

Make sure you also do things together as a family that don’t involve screens. Ditch the mobiles and go on a bike ride or a walk in your local area.

This is a really important lesson to teach your kids. They might think it’s funny to post some salacious gossip or an inappropriate photo of themselves, but once it’s out there, they cannot take it back.

You can delete posts, but if people have seen them, the damage is already done.

The best rule to follow is to never post something you wouldn’t say to someone’s face.  Anonymity can make some kids feel brave and say things they wouldn’t normally say, but as Paris Brown discovered, it can come back to haunt you.

Teach your teens to only follow or friend people they know in real life. While it can be fun to make new online friends, they actually don’t know who’s really behind the profile, so it’s safer to ignore requests from strangers.

Obviously it’s OK to follow verified accounts of celebrities but make sure they are following the real A-lister.

Official verified accounts on Twitter and Facebook both carry a blue verified tick (see the image above) on them showing that the profiles have been confirmed as the real deal and do actually belong to a bona fide star.

This is when using the networks yourself is vital. If your teen doesn’t understand how to protect their posts, it’s important you do.

Facebook has added security settings for 13 to 17-year-olds, but your child has to be registered as under 18, which is not something all teens will do. If they are however, then Facebook will ensure that their profiles don’t appear in search listings and that their information is limited to friends, friends of friends or networks, such as their school.

On Twitter you can protect Tweets so only an approved list will see them.

Obviously you don’t want to kill all their fun, but as they get older or prove they can handle social media networks responsibly, you can open up the settings a little.

Whatever changes you make, ensure your teenager understands why. If you don’t have their buy-in, they’ll just go and change the settings once your back is turned.

Just as with status updates, ensure your teenager thinks twice about what images they post on social media networks.

Anything overtly sexual, for example, a bikini shot, could encourage harassment, bullying or predators. Equally photos of them being raucous with their mates might be hilarious now, but if future employers see them - especially if they include under-age drinking - they may cost them a job.

As a rule of thumb, if your teens would be embarrassed at you seeing the photos, they shouldn’t post them.

Of course your teen may be very careful about what they post, but their friends may not be so stringent and post unsuitable photos of your child.

On Facebook, if your child is tagged in a dodgy photo, these can be untagged. Unfortunately once an image has gone out on other social network sites such as Instagram or Twitter, it cannot be removed.

Once or twice a year, get your teen to review any content they have posted. That way if they have uploaded any dodgy photos or status updates, they can be deleted.

This is especially important if they are applying for jobs – employers check social media profiles for background information and may think twice about hiring your son or daughter if they have seen something they don’t like on the web.

While it’s fun checking in your location on Facebook or tweeting where you are, make sure your teens always think twice about this. Revealing a location can make teens vulnerable to identity thieves or predators, especially if they are alone somewhere.

Even celebrities are not immune to this. Actress Helen Flanagan’s home was raided by armed burglars after she tweeted that she was home alone.

It can also make them look irresponsible if, instead of being at their job or school, they are tweeting about how much they’re enjoying their day out at a local theme park or gig.

If you want more information on keeping your teen safe on social media sites, visit The Parent Zone, Think U Know, NSPCC or Get safe online.