Parenting today is unlike the old days that most of us grew up in. With technology around every corner and all areas of the world having access to the internet, it’s not easy to know when your child is ready for the online world of social media.
While some social media platforms do have a rule that a child must be at least 13 years of age to have their own profile, some parents allow children to have an account as early as age 9 while others wait a bit longer to age 16.
There’s no set age for you to know when your child is ready for a social media account, but there are some signs to look for. Today I’ll share some of the signs to look for so that you can make an educated decision as to whether or not your child is ready for their own social media account or not.
Is My Child Ready For a Social Media Account?
Consider Maturity Level
If your child can’t listen to simple instructions now or struggles with mature concepts and rules then your child may not be ready for a social media account.
It’s important to think about your child’s maturity level before you allow them to venture into the online world of networking via social media. Every child matures at a different level, you’ll know best if your child is mature enough for this new privilege and extensive access to the online world.
Will Your Child Be Honest?
Another thing to take into consideration when debating whether or not your child is ready for a social media account is how good they are at fessing up to their bad decisions as well as communicating things with you.
You’ll want to have a very open relationship where your child is comfortable telling you about anything in an honest manner before you allow them to have their own social media account. If they’re not quite ready for this, you can work on this skill before letting them make an account.
Consider Rule Obeying
Does your child currently obey the rules that you’ve set forth in your own home or do they tend to avoid all of the rules, make excuses and bad decisions?
A child who has a social media account will need to be able to follow rules and understand there are consequences to be had should they not follow the rules put forth by their parents. Allowing your rule-abiding child to have a social media account will keep this new stage in parenthood a little less stressful.
Discuss Situations
Talk to your child about different situations that can arise when they have a social media account. This will better help you determine if your child is ready for a social media account.
There are some dangers online that your child needs to understand how to address, as well as not to give out any personal information to someone on the internet before you should allow them to have social media accounts. Having this discussion will give you a better idea of where their maturity is for their age.
These are just some of the things to take into consideration when you’re wondering if your child is ready for a social media account. Allowing your child to have a social media account can be a hard step for any parent, as your giving your child deeper access to the internet and easier way to communicate with friends as well as strangers.
It’s best to make sure your child is ready to handle all of the given situations social media entails before you allow them to have a social media account.
Responsibility
Just because a child is at a particular age does not mean that they are responsible enough to handle being on social media. As a parent, it is your task to see if they have proven to responsibly follow rules and behave in the past. This should not be a very difficult question to answer, as parents always know their children best.
If you have some reservations, it may not be their time yet. In this case, it is a great time to give them more responsibility to show you that they can do it.
Set some goals over a period of time, and if they adhere to them, you can re-evaluate the social media question. Sometimes a child needs a prod in the right direction to really start growing.
Behavior History
This one is pretty self-explanatory; has your child had a history of bad behavior? This can include things such as lying, cheating, aggression, violence, bullying, and the list goes on. Social media is a platform that can be abused by some to take these negative actions online, and it can cause some serious problems.
If your child has displayed any of this type of behavior it is essential to talk to them about it, and even get them some help if it is warranted. You need to be able to trust that this type of behavior will not be permitted, as online actions are just as serious as offline ones.
Understanding Privacy and Personal Data
Along with the internet comes the use of personal information, including names, addresses, even bank and credit card data. As there are a variety of ways that your private data can be compromised, through nefarious means, you need to be able to trust your child will safeguard it.
They need to understand that it is not safe to give any of this type of personal information to people they don’t know, and even people they do know at times. While you may not need to explain the finer details about what could happen, they need to prove to you that they understand the importance of privacy for themselves and others.
Trust and Alertness
Another point to be wary of is trusting anyone that they meet online, as it is far too easy for people to be duped. There are a lot of risks out there on social media, especially for younger children, and you need to make sure they know that not everyone online is who they say they are.
While social media is a great way for people of all ages to connect and communicate, it is also the perfect cover for deviant behaviour. Teach your child to stay alert and keep their guard up when interacting with new people on social media. This will help protect them and also build tools for later in life.
Rules, Regulations, and Safe Guards
Once you have established that your child is ready to get online and start taking advantage of the world of social media, there is more to do.
You are going to have to prepare for and monitor aspects of your child’s online life. While you don’t want to be overly invasive, there are many things you can do to keep your child in check on social media.
Set Concrete Rules
It starts with setting rules for your children, and they need to be set in stone. Your children need to learn to respect and obey the rules, and this can only be done by being consistent on your end. You also need to ensure that the children understand the rules fully, as you don’t want any confusion.
You can set rules related to the following:
- Which platforms are accessed
- Which devices they are on
- Times allowed for using them
- People that they can communicate with
This is a general idea of the types of rules you need to set for your child, and you should add or take away as you see fit. As long as you are comfortable with the rules and ensure they are enforced, you should be good to go.
Establish Boundaries
Your child may not completely understand the concept of boundaries at this point, but it is important for them to learn. You need them to respect the boundaries of other people online, as well as create their own to keep safe.
This is going to be a different conversation for every single parent, but it is important for them to know their comfort limits and respect those of others.
Have Real Consequences to Broken Rules
Rules are put in place, regardless of the situation, for a reason. Your child must know that if a rule that you have set has been broken, there are going to be consequences. This is going to help teach them to respect and adhere to your rules and make them more responsible in life.
You must consistently and effectively deal with any broken rules and let them know that it is not tolerated. Normally taking away access to social media is a good start, but depending on the situation you may need to get creative. The main point here is to keep on the rules and always follow through.
Use Parental Controls and Apps
Most everything these days have some form of parental control if they can be accessed by children. This is going to be your first place to look to add some safety and control on your end. Your devices and social media platforms will all have various forms of parental control, and it is essential to get to know them and use them to your advantage.
There are also other third-party apps available that can allow you to restrict access to things, monitor activity, and more. If you are worried about what may happen on social media, make sure to check out some of the available options, as there are many.
Talk to Other Parents
In the end, it is always nice to have other people to talk to about these situations, and who better than other parents?
If you have friends or family with children who have been through this, hit them up for some advice on how they handled it, and what they learned from it all. You are always better learning from someone else’s mistakes than your own, and you can get some great advice.
One Response
These were all such great tips! Parenting these days is so full of new choices like when to get them cell phones and when to let them on social media. So much uncharted water but it helps to have advice from other parents who are finding their way through already!