Social Media and Self-Doubt

Social Media and Self-Doubt

Parents can help kids resist the pressure by social media to diffuse self-doubt.  

Social media and teenagers: How to help

Parents can guide their children through a reasonable use of social media.

It is not a one time conversation with your teen but repeated conversations with your teen about healthy social media behaviors.

• Social media has ramifications.  Social media captures the roles of peoples lives in both positive and negative light.  Teens may seem to let their emotions ride with the latest story or thread.  It’s important for parents to talk to their teens and keep them in the realm of reality and discuss their teens feelings.
• Perception. Encourage your teen to examine if their friends lives on social media add up to who they really are in person.  Many will find that social media promotes boasting outside the realm of everyday life where small is now big and insignificant becomes scandalous.
• Posting.  Explain to your teen that their lives do not need to be played out on social media.  They do not need everyone in their social group to opine on their activities.  Teach them to examine their moral values and apply it to their situations and not seek to create a scandalous post to get attention.  Build their self-esteem.
• Warnings.  If you teen is obsessed about social media and it starts to affect their everyday lives in a negative way, you will want to seek professional help. An excessive amount of self-doubt is treatable in most cases.

Build your child’s confidence so that they are not using social media to measure their successes or failures.  A healthy experience with social media starts with a good does of self-esteem. Encourage your teens to talk to you and help them limit self-doubt.