Remind your child that there is no such thing as online privacy
Social media platforms are increasingly popular among middle school students, who use them to share their thoughts, photos and videos. While these platforms offer ways for children to connect and express themselves, experts caution families about potential downsides.
Adolescents are prone to risk-taking and often have low impulse control. This makes it crucial for you to be aware of what your middle schooler is seeing and posting online. To help your child make smart choices on social media:
· Discuss how nothing posted online can ever be completely removed. Once your child posts something, readers or viewers can easily take a screenshot or download the content. That content can then be re-shared countless times.
· Find out who can view your child’s social media. Make sure accounts are private and only visible to people your child actually knows and trusts.
· Apply values to online behavior. If your child wouldn’t do or say something in real life, it’s not OK to do or say it online.
· Stress safety above all. Students should never post information that would allow someone to locate them in real life, or arrange to meet anyone they met online without you present.
Reprinted with permission from the November 2025 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® newsletter. Copyright © 2025 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc. Source: V.L. Dunckley, M.D., “Why Social Media is Not Smart for Middle School Kids,” Psychology Today.