Teachers, church leaders, coaches, stop pressuring kids to be on social media early
We know that kids are supposed to be 13 before signing up for popular apps like Instagram, TikTik, Snapchat, even YouTube.
But most kids are asking for social media accounts years before they are 13 and many are getting them.
Parents who are delaying their kids’ access to social media expect that their kids get a certain amount of pressure from their friends who want them on Instagram or TikTok. But what they don’t expect is for other trusted adults like their school teachers to be asking their kids to get on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, or even WhatsApp or Discord.
(See the related KOAT news story here.)
What’s happening starts with good intentions.
Adults think “Kids are already on these platforms, so why not use them for good purposes?”
And so a teacher creates a fun assignment to make a book report done with videos on IG.
Or a youth leader at church starts a group chat with all the middle school kids, even though kids under 13 technically aren’t allowed to have accounts.
Or a sports coach shares training tips on TikTok videos.
Or a jazz band leader has a group chat for schedules.
With a quick Google search, we found all kinds of advice for teachers and lesson plans on how to incorporate social media into the classroom.
They don’t understand the dangers inherent in asking kids to use social media.
For kids with social media accounts, they’re asking to be ONLINE MORE for education and extracurricular. This leads to distractions and falling into all kinds of rabbit holes because they’re in these apps.
Kids who don’t have accounts feel excluded, miss out on important information and communications, feel more pressure to make social media accounts, and if parents still say no, kids might create secret accounts.
Here’s what parents can do to keep kids involved but not creating their own social media accounts.
Offer hope--let your kids know WHEN they’ll get to have a social media account. If you think 15 is the right age, let them know so they see hope for their future.
Find other families that have similar beliefs. Wait Until 8th is a fantastic resource for families waiting until 8th grade for smartphones.
Parents can share their social media account or make a shared account and have their kids answer with them.
Offer an alternative app like Heja for sports calendars.
Ask teachers to Make video projects just be video recordings without a platform.
Send a letter to your school board or church leadership explaining why sending kids to social media is a bad idea, even for kids who have accounts. SAMPLE LETTER to DOWNLOAD (thanks to Lisa Cline - Child Safety Advocate/ Founder, Safe Technology Workshop/ Co-chair, Fairplay Action Network Screens in Schools - for this template for school boards and Instagram)
Ask adults to use their school or organization’s webpage for calendars and updates