Handling Social Media With Your Kids

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past few years, you're aware of the rise in popularity of social media with teens. From texting on cell phones to websites such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, today's kids are engaging in social media at an ever-increasing rate.

I probably don't have to say this, but the reality is: Social media is not a fad, and has become part of the fabric of American youth culture. It's estimated that during this year (2009), 15.5 million teen Internet users (75%) will use social networking websites[i].  Facebook alone is said to have 300 million active users worldwide.[ii] and is the third most-visited website on the Internet, behind Google and Yahoo! In the course of a month, some 24% of all Internet users visit Facebook. And, two other social media sites, YouTube and MySpace hold the fourth and fifth spots as most visited websites in the U.S.[iii]. Still, parents have to make choices about whether they will allow their adolescent kids to use these websites. And, if they allow their kids access to these sites, parents must provide both boundaries and oversight to their usage.

Talking to your kids about social media should be a top priority. Here are some of my thoughts on handling social media in your home.

Understand Why Today's Kids Use Social Media.

When we were teenagers and couldn't hang out face-to-face with our friends, phones were the communication tools of the day. But, today's teens now have many social media options such as social networking websites, instant messaging and using cell phone text messaging. Our kids find these options more to their liking than talking on the phone. They can multitask better via online methods, communicate briefly, and can't be overheard by their parents.

Also, it's been suggested that due to parents' safety concerns in today's culture, many kids don't have the freedom to hang out with peers in settings that were common for us when we were teens. As a result, kids use social media, where they can hang out "virtually" with their peers to socialize, chat, and share their thoughts.