For teenagers, social media can be dangerous, revealing them to harmful content like anorexia “thinspiration,” drug culture, explicit material, glorification of suicide, and grooming by predators. Algorithms often lead them to these troubling parts of the internet, which can have severe impacts.

Under increasing pressure from lawmakers and concerned parents, social media companies are beginning to introduce necessary tools to help parents oversee their children’s online interactions, thus helping to protect their mental well-being and safety.

Understanding Instagram Settings

Using the Family Center, you can monitor how long your teen spends on the app (though not the specific activities). You can impose daily usage limits and schedule periods where notifications are disabled.

Getting Started: In the Instagram app, tap on your profile picture (at the bottom right), then the menu button (top right), and select Family Center to link up with your teen. They can also initiate this by choosing Supervision from the same menu.

Setting Expectations: You can enforce strict guidelines or simply enable Instagram to issue warnings when limits are exceeded. Teens can also request additional time, so be ready to negotiate.

Stay Involved on YouTube

While you can’t monitor what your teen views on YouTube or set time constraints, you can receive notifications for livestreams or new video uploads from them. Additionally, you can see who is subscribing to and commenting on their content.

Getting Connected: Launch the YouTube app on your phone, tap on your profile picture (lower right), then the settings gear (upper right), and choose Family Center. Select Invite a teen to supervise their account.

Maintain Open Communication: This effort requires candid discussions with your teen regarding safety. Keep in mind they can remove you from their account whenever they choose, so diplomacy is a key skill for parents.

Managing Chats on Snapchat

Though you cannot access your teen’s Snapchat messages or private media (which is probably for the best), you can observe their friends and see who they’ve interacted with most frequently in the last week.

Partner With Your Teen: Make sure to add your teen as a friend on Snapchat. Then, tap on your profile picture (top left), go to settings (top right), and select Family Center to establish a parent-child link.

Gaining More Control: You can also restrict content that Snapchat deems “sensitive” in both Stories and Spotlight. Furthermore, you have the option to disable access to the AI bot within Snapchat.

Proactive Steps for Parents

Remember when you used a fake ID or told little white lies? Kids often find ways around parental controls and know how to alter their birth year to bypass age limits.

◾ Access their phones: Having the passcode for their devices is essential. This should be a requirement if you provide them with phones. Even if you don’t frequently check, knowing that you can is a strong deterrent against risky behavior.

◾ Establish limits: Utilize the built-in controls to oversee their app usage, and employ content filters to limit exposure to inappropriate content.

◾ “Friend” or “Follow” them: Maintain your connection on social media to keep an eye on their social interactions. Without transparent communication, they may find ways to evade your oversight.

◾ Understand “Finstas”: A “finsta” refers to a fake Instagram account, and it’s common among over half of high school students. It serves as a platform for sharing unfiltered photos and opinions.

Engage in Dialogue with Your Child

I’ve always been forthright with my son about the threats posed by social media and the internet. My intention wasn’t to frighten him but to clarify the reasons behind certain rules. Understanding the why fosters a sense of teamwork. If you need assistance, download our free Tech Contract for Kids.