Social media

STEVE BIDDULPH, PARENTING AUTHOR

The important thing with social media is to not start too young.

Children don’t need the stress of having to check what people are saying, or fending off bullying or nastiness, or worrying about their popularity – school is stressful enough, and home is meant to be a haven

from all that. Parents – and children – worry that they might miss out, and while some of that can happen, it’s mostly missing out on pointless and circular angst that they really won’t benefit from. Being a friendly, calm and kind person will always ensure friends, more than cliquey or competitive behaviour or exchanging trivia in the middle of the night.

My aim in campaigning on this is to help everyone get on the same page – it’s easier if your child’s friends’ parents feel the same way and have the same policies. So ask other parents for help.

Schools can also invite parents to generally not have kids on social media before the mid teens. Why? Because we have a massive stress epidemic among young people,

much of it is about social pressures, which meld into worrying about looks and popularity. And bullying is rife. Mental health experts say social media isn’t the whole story, but it’s definitely a part. It’s about balance, and being old enough to manage it.