How to Teach Teens Healthy Social Media Habits with this Simple Practice
There’s no doubt that social media is very popular in today’s society. Many people of diverse backgrounds all have some type of social media whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. One thing for sure is that today’s generation of younger teens are the ones who use social media the most and can benefit from a simple practice to learn healthy habits.
Understanding that social media is everywhere also means understanding that it can be like a drug in a way that becomes addictive. It is important to manage your social media time in a healthy way that does not interfere with daily life or allow social media to replace real-life interactions.
Here are some tips to create a simple practice to teach teens healthy use of social media.
- Budget a time. Setting a limit for yourself on how much time you will spend on social media is a simple way to create a habit. Doing this will allow yourself to be able to spend time away from social media to not be consumed by too much information on social media. It also helps maintain a healthy balance and relationship with you and your social medias.
- Fact Check. Lots of teens go on social media, a majority of them also use it to keep up with trends and to get their news. Using social media to get your news/information is fine but it’s also important to make sure you fact check the sources because all news is not real news. Teens can use this tool to start a good habit of fact checking all of the content they use. Instagram is a great app that has tools to inform that the post they are seeing does not have enough credibility.
- Think about what you post. This in another great habit for teens to make. When teens post on social media, it is very important for them to really think about what they’re posting . Here are some questions that will help you think about you post:
- Is it true?
- Is it kind?
- Would I say this in person?
- Is it helpful or useful?
- Will I feel good about it tomorrow?
These are the types of questions that teens should ask when deciding to post on social media, and is a simple habit to help ensure that posts are beneficial.
- Turn off your notifications. This healthy habit may sound weird for teens but it’s actually pretty helpful. Turning off your notifications during certain times of the day is a great way to stay concentrated and not get distracted by noise. I know almost every single person will most likely look at their phone when they hear a notification, but you always have to remember that whatever was sent in not going anywhere.
I can guarantee you that almost every single teen has a phone and has access to some type of social media but it’s important for teens to develop healthy relationships and habits with social media, doing these things can create a simple practice to create healthy social media habits and to take control of your mental health. Social media can be the cause of many teens struggle with mental health and prevention becomes key. Being able to create that healthy dynamic between your social media and yourself will make your day so much better and will allow you to enjoy every single moment that you have.
Here are some additional posts on creating healthy social media habits: