parent's guide

  1. Determine the age your child will have access to social media.

    One strategy is to make a social media plan for your family long before the teenage years, Dr. Poncin says. “In my opinion, elementary school-age children should not have full-on internet access using a device with all the social media apps.”

  2. Keep devices out of the bedroom.

    Research shows a relationship between social media use and poor sleep quality, reduced sleep duration, and sleep difficulties in young people, according to Dr. Murthy’s advisory. For teens, poor sleep is linked to emotional health issues and a higher risk for suicide.

  3. Keep the lines of communication open, and let your teen make mistakes.

    “I don’t believe you should monitor the content of your teen’s phone, because a teenager should have privacy,” Dr. Poncin says. “An important part of the teenage years is figuring out who you are in the world. So, it's important for them to explore and even make mistakes without you hovering around them.” The goal is to keep lines of communication open and establish some trust with your child, so they'll come to you if there are issues, he adds.

  4. Be mindful of your approach when talking to your teen.

    Although keeping the line of communication open matters, how you have those conversations is equally important. If you are concerned about your teen’s social media use and feel the need to intervene, you might say something like, "It seems like you're on the phone so much that I don't see you just doing homework like you used to do, so I'm just worried how healthy this is for you in terms of getting your stuff done. What do you think about that?" Dr. Poncin says.

  5. Follow the rules yourself.

    As a parent, you are a role model and that means following all the same rules you are setting for your children—if you ask your teenager to limit their screen time, you should do so as well, says Dr. Mayes, noting that it’s not uncommon to see parents looking at their phones when they are out with their kids.