When does the rot start? (Phone and social media)

[Horseskeepmesane]

Mum of a 8 year old boy, I have questions.

at the minute he just plays games on my phone NO social media I know this as it’s my phone.

he is still a happy little boy, I am gobsmacked by What I hear about social media, Adolescence, incels, girls demeaning boys etc.. so for the love of god what year in school does this start and how?!!!!!

Who in their right minds allows social media for their children now we know how it is KILLING people or is it all down to not wa ting their kids to be the odd one out by not having social media?

Some of it depends on the child and their friends and peers. My DDs were mostly able to avoid the 'mean girls' and didn't have much interest in any of the SM sites.

If you set up the parental controls correctly, your DS won't be able to install any apps without your permission and websites like FB (although kids today don't use that) will be able to tell his age and prevent him from making a profile.

As humans whose brains have developed over millennia of evolution, we're not even supposed to know that billions of people exist, let alone what they think about your dress size.

Tech companies have made it increasingly opaque as to what apps, websites, messages, profiled etc on devices can be used for, what's made public and how they can be controlled.

Parents largely shrug and assume that because they and their whatsapp groups can handle social media ok, that their kids will likewise figure it out. Everyone needs educating about it.

I'm all for dumb phones at secondary age - very limited messaging, calendar, map apps etc only.

I think it's helpful, as a parent to eventually give your kids a phones (at around age 13), but to have a monitoring app on it and to let them know that you can see whatever they do on their phones. If you see anything concerning you can discuss it with them. As they get older you can step down the monitoring and eventually lift it, at like 16 or 17.

Kids need to learn to live in the world with social media, because at some point it will be the only way to keep in touch with their friends.

ETA: I also think schools should be giving lessons on how to deal with social media. You can't keep kids off it forever, so you might as well equip them with the knowledge they need to protect themselves.