Interesting article on teen girls, 'selfies' and using Social Media

[MmeLindor]

The author is 16 year old Australian teen

The manipulation of hashtags was a new one on me. I am not a big Instagrammer, but presume that means that you hashtag the pic to get into the most popular search terms in order to get more likes, then delete the hashtag to make it seem like the approval was more organic.

Really interested in this bit as it gives a very different POV on the whole internet safety thing

A common adult reaction to social media is to restrict things, as if that could ever be possible. You can't force kids to be nice. The real problem isn't something tangible like sexting or bullying, which adults focus on in patronising and unimaginative ways. The real problem relates to conformity. Kids are compelled to act the stereotype, because those who opt out commit themselves to social leprosy. Social media doesn't need adult control. What we need is some good taste

I am very impressed with the author. The whole social media thing worries me so much, with one 13yo boy, and more worrying for me, a 6yo girl. Navigating the teen years was hard enough in my day, without all of this crap to deal with.

I am not that worried, but then I work in this field so am able to see the pitfalls and am very well informed of the kind of stuff that goes on.

For me, that is half the battle. If you know what is out there, you can prepare your teen.

I agree with the author of that piece. Shutting your kids out of Social Media won't work. You have to work with them and get them used to it. In an age appropriate manner.

Just as you don't let your kids walk to school. You let them go the last bit alone, then you go half way, then you just see them over the road, until they are confident enough to go all the way.

So start with a locked down FB account, then work up to giving them more freedom but still monitor their usage, then let them have a Twitter account (or whatever the equivalent is when your kids are old enough to have SM accounts!)

I would also say that working on their self-esteem to be just as important, so that they don't fall into the selfie trap of doing stuff to make themselves look good.

Yy. Agree.

I found this thread through being one of your FB friends for example.

I do think though that the social media stuff exposes them so much more. To such a wide audience, and a massive range of stuff that was not accessible by a few clicks back in the day (when a click did not even exist).

It's a normal part of teenage life to be self-obsessed isn't it? And to be fixated on your appearance and sexuality?

Hopefully all those posters of pouty selfies will grow out of it.

They should not be dismissed as vacuous as some people do. I agree with the comment that this is about lack of confidence/self-esteem.

Thank goodness there are no photos of me in my awful black leather mini-skirt when I was 18. It's such a shame that there will be a record of all the selfies.

Ha Yoni. Three degrees of separation and all that.

Yes, I agree that things are very different to when we were young, but kids are growing up so much more connected. They are not as frightened of it as we are, it is just normal.

I suppose it is just like teaching kids to be sceptical of adverts, and to see beyond the hype.