What parents need to know to protect their children on social media

FILE – A child holds an iPhone in an Apple Store on September 25, 2015 in Chicago. Parents – and even some teenagers themselves – are increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, file)

At what age should children be on social media? Should they participate? If they are not, will they be social outcasts? Should parents monitor their conversations? Does parental control work?

Navigating social media as a parent – ​​let alone a child – isn't easy. Use of social media platforms remains the norm for most American teens, with the Pew Research Center reporting that 58% of teens are daily TikTok users, with 17% describing their TikTok use as almost constant. About half of teens use Snapchat and Instagram daily, with near-constant usage at 14% and 8% for each, respectively.

But parents – and even some teens themselves – are increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Lawmakers took note and held several congressional hearings on children's online safety. But even with apparent bipartisan unity, crafting laws and regulating businesses takes time. So far, no regulations have been adopted.

What are parents – and teenagers – supposed to do in the meantime? Here are some tips for staying safe, communicating and setting boundaries on social media – for kids and their parents.

Is 13 the magic age of social media?

There is already, technically, a rule that prohibits children under the age of 13 from using platforms that advertise to them without their parents' consent: the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, entry in force in 2000, before today's adolescents were even born.

The goal was to protect children's privacy online by, among other things, requiring websites and online services to disclose clear privacy policies and obtain parental consent before collecting personal information about their children. To comply, social media companies have generally prohibited children under 13 from signing up for their services.

But times have changed and online privacy is no longer the only concern when it comes to children's online browsing. There is bullying, harassment, the risk of developing eating disorders, suicidal thoughts or worse.

For years, it's been a push for parents, educators and tech experts to wait until they're older before giving kids phones — and access to social media – such as the “Wait until the 8th” pledge which requires parents to sign a pledge not to do so. give their children a smartphone until the 8th grade, which is around 13 or 14 years old. Some wait even later, like 16 or 17 years old.

But neither social networks nor the government have taken concrete steps to increase the age limit.

If the law doesn't prohibit children, should parents?

“There’s not necessarily a magic age,” said Christine Elgersma, a social media expert at the nonprofit Common Sense Media. But, she added, “13 is probably not the best age for kids to be on social media.”