Social Media and Teens: A Guide for Parents by Ms. Mitchelle D’mello

1. What Will They
Text Next ?
Social Media and Teens:
A Guide for Parents
- Mitchelle D'mello
(Psychologist & Psychotherapist)

2. THE SCREEN TIME
Take a moment to total how much time you
spend daily looking at a screen.
Then,
Take some time to estimate how much time
your teenager spends looking at a screen.

3. Teens Today…
• 78% of teens have cell phones, almost half own smart
phones
• 1 in 4 are “cell-mostly” internet users
• 23% of teens have a tablet
• 81% use social networking sites
• 8-18 year olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38
minutes to using entertainment media across a typical
day
• 100% of students have a laptop and access to the
internet

4. Can you identify these apps?

5. What Social Media Are They
Using?

6. What are they posting?

7. Stages of Adolescence
● Early Adolescence – 10-14 years old
● Middle Adolescence – 15-17 years old
● Late Adolescence – 18-21 years old

8. Early Adolescence 10-14
years
● Physical Development: At this stage, children are
entering puberty. Hair growth, body odour, and
menstruation begin to happen.
● Intellectual Development :When children enter
adolescence, they’re generally still very focused on the
present.
● Emotional Development : Low self-esteem, mood
swings, aggression, and even depression are common.
● Social Development : Teens generally start to expand
their social interactions to groups of peers outside the
“inner circle” dynamic at this point.

9. Middle Adolescence15-17 years
● Physical Development: Males often begin to focus on
exercising and grooming. Females at this stage tend to be
very aware of their physical appearance, too.
● Intellectual Development: Ability to think through and solve
complex problems. They also become more willing and able
to think about the future and what it holds for them.
● Emotional Development: Teens striving for independence
while at the same time craving the security provided by you
(the parents) and their home.
● Social Development : Focus on finding peer groups also this
is generally the first time they think about forming romantic
relationships.

10. Late Adolescence 18-21 years
● Physical Development: Teens are more
interested in fitness and maintaining a strong and
attractive physical appearance.
● Intellectual Development: Teens are able to see
the “bigger picture" also they begin to develop
“street smartness” at this stage.
● Emotional Development: Teens begin to develop
more confidence ,also their social circles expand
and romantic relationships become front-of-mind.
● Social Development: Teens social circles begin to
expand beyond the “cliques” that were common
during their middle adolescence.

11. Adolescent Brain Development

13. Dangers of Social Media
What we know about teens:
•They are constantly trying
to define themselves.
•They crave positive
feedback to help them see
how their identity fits into
their world.
•They use social media for
this feedback... but they are
looking in a dangerous place.
How is this harmful:
•The danger exists in the
possibility of a very public
rejection because negative
feedback is there for anyone
and everyone to see.
•Another danger is that
teens ask for feedback
without learning first that
not everyone will respond in
a supportive way.

14. What Can You Do?
• In order to teach your children how to seek
feedback from genuine sources, parents
should start early by helping their children
identify trustworthy sources.
• Most importantly, parents need to reinforce
that the most influential voice should come
from within.

15. Engage Your Family
• Engage your teen in meaningful conversation about internet
use
• Talk to other parents, deans, counselors
• Validate your teen's reality and their need to be connected
• Engage your child in drafting the rules for the family:
– guidelines for use
– consequences for breaking those rules
• Model appropriate use of technology:
– minimize texting
– don't use cell phone/laptop at meals
– don't use cell phone in the car

16. Let Your Teen Know
• That you have the right to check their laptop,
phone, etc..
• What apps/media are okay and what are not
• That you need to know their passwords
• What their online responsibilities are:
– Protecting their privacy
– Not engaging in cyber bullying

17. What Are You Worried About?
• Invading your kid’s privacy?
• Not feeling comfortable with being on social
media?
• That they have secret accounts?
Just as you would establish ground rules and do
diligence in person, there is a need to do the
same things - or even more - with the internet.

18. Other Parental Concern
• 81% are worried about how much advertisers can
learn about their kid’s through their behavior
online
• 72% are worried their kid is interacting with
people they do not know online
• 70% are worried about how their online activity
might affect their future academic or employment
opportunities
• 60% are worried about their kids reputation
online

19. Apps to Protect Your Teen’s
Phone
• My Mobile Watchdog
• Mobile Spy
• Text Guard
• WebWatcher

20. Thank You