Savvy Social Media Tips!
No one can deny the incredible power and growing pervasiveness of social media. Estimates put users of social media in the billions. Facebook (the largest social media site-over 2 billion), YouTube (almost 2 billion), Instagram, Twitter and more. As with any innovation, it comes with its risks and its rewards. Social media is a “double-edged sword.” As parents, it’s important that we are aware of some of the benefits and drawbacks regarding social media for ourselves and our kids who use social media.
So, what’s good about social media?
 It can help us connect with loved ones. - It can provide support from those who “follow” us.
- It can connect us with people who share our interests and passions.
- It can help us learn about the world by following causes and people from all over the globe.
- It can help us feel less alone, especially if it connects us with people undergoing struggles similar to ours.
- It can help us rekindle long lost friendships.
- It can inspire us to become politically active or to take up a cause.
- It can challenge and hold us accountable for healthy eating and motivate us be physically activity.
- It can inspire us to help others in need.
So, what’s not so good about social media?
- It can make us feel inadequate. It’s hard not to compare ourselves to other users and feel we don’t measure up, either in terms of their lives and the fun they are having without us (this comparison has its own acronym: FOMO—Fear Of Missing Out) or in terms of feeling physically inadequate when we compare ourselves to photos which are “doctored” with Photoshop, Facetune, special lighting, poses, apps and tricks to make the body look as flawless as possible.
 It can be addicting. Some researchers have found that checking cell phones or social media accounts multiple times a day (or hours!) triggers addiction areas of the brain because users experience a “high.” - It can create social phobia because of fewer real interactions with people.
- It can make us addicted to being entertained. Remember going on long car trips as a kid and just...(gasp!) looking out the window? Playing the alphabet game?
- It can fool us. Let’s face it: not everyone is honest, and a “relationship” that takes place totally on line could be based on entirely false pretenses and worse, fall prey to social media “predators.”
- It can disrupt sleep if we stay up late texting or browsing social media sites and constantly looking at a screen.
- It can promote inactivity, and of course inactivity leads to a host of problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular problems, blood pressure problems, arthritis, breathing issues, and cancer.
- It can isolate us. Ever go into a room with a lot of people and they’re all looking down glued to their devices and not talking to each other? One survey showed that couples felt resentful of time their partner spends on his or her device. A recent ABC news special with Diane Sawyer highlighted the effect on children as young as toddlers when their parents look at their devices and not their children.
- It can be a forum for bullying, shaming, and other negative, hurtful behaviors.
What’s a parent to do? Be informed, talk to your kids, set appropriate boundaries, AND model the behavior you want to see in your kids (no “Do as I say not as I do” does not work).
Here are some tips:
- Establish times and zones that are device-free like the dinner table and family gatherings.
- Limit the time your kids spend on their devices. Many devices will give you a weekly report on daily screen time.
- Keep track in the form of a chart of each person’s screen time, and set a goal to meet. When the entire family meets it, celebrate by doing something active together.
- Have lots of books and tactile toys for children to entertain themselves. They don’t have to be expensive.
- Avoid the temptation in grocery stores, doctors’ offices and other places where kids have to wait because of you being on your device or you gave your device to your kids. Bring paper and crayons and other time passers we used way back in the early 2000’s!
- Get outside. When we play outside, it’s more likely we are moving and being active more than being on our phones.
- For older children, discuss with them ins and outs of social media before letting them have their own account. And if they do have accounts, make sure to follow them and monitor their activity.
Social media is a fast-growing, billion-dollar industry and slick campaigns and media marketing try to convince us we need it.
Being informed can help you choose how best to use social media for you and your family!
Remember to like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WellsvilleUSA) and watch the Wellsville TV show Saturdays at 8 a.m. on FOX 66 for more family fun!
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