Is Social Media Ruining Your Child's Confidence?

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I never thought of it this way before until I saw an article about it the other day that really made me think.
A young girl (in her late teens) had mentioned that her Instagram just wasn't "interesting" and nobody seems to like her posts or follow her page. That she wasn't as beautiful as the those "other" girls.

At first I have to be honest, I thought, "Seriously? This is what young teens and young adults are dealing with these days? 1st world problems."

Then I read a book recently that mentioned more and more people are "outsourcing" their brains to their smart phone. More and more people are checking to see who has liked their post or who is their new follower.

See, this young girl had little self-confidence and seemed like little, if no, self-worth. This is a dangerous thing and could lead down a dark road of depression if not handled right.

After pondering this phenomenon for a while I realized this is literally no different than how advertisements make people feel about themselves, especially young girls.
Phrases like....

• "I'm not pretty enough"
• "I'm not skinny like her"
• "I'm not beautiful like her"
• "I'm not as cool as they are"
• "I wish I had friends like that"

Are all too familiar and needs to be eradicated from the conversation young kids, teens, and adults are using on themselves.

So, what's the solution?

I have no idea. I can tell you that learning how to manage technology while living in this fast-moving technological time and instant access to information is vital.

Limiting your child's time on social media is start.

Helping them see their self-worth and getting them involved in their community is a great way for them to help others and disengage from their smartphones.

Simply, just getting out into the world and experiencing life is a move in the right direction.

It's a fact that social medial and smart devices are here to stay, but it's our responsibility to learn how to live it. It's our duty as parents and community leaders to help our children understand that it's just a tool and can be used for good, and to not take it too seriously.

There is a time a place for it.

The key is to learn to manage our connectivity to social media and technology.

I would highly recommend the book, Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi.

I'd love to hear how you manage and teach your child or teen about social media? Please post in the comments below.

Coach Deets

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