Helping Teens Stay Mentally Healthy on Social Media

There are several practical ways you can help protect your child’s mental health online:

• Encourage your child to connect with others offline. This can help them avoid a “fear of missing out” or FOMO.
• Reduce screentime. Teens and young adults who reduced their social media use by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance (American Psychological Association, 2023)
• Help your child understand that peers post the highlights of their lives.
• Remind your child that social media isn’t always showing real life – photos are often edited for filtered.
• Encourage your children to question what they see. Don’t accept everything they see or read as fact.
• Engage in frequent conversations about their internet use so they feel comfortable coming to you if or when there is a concern.
• Know what platforms they are using and who their online friends are.

For more information how to protect your child on social media platforms and on their digital devices, visit EIE’s Internet Safety 101 website. Also, be sure to visit the Rules ‘N Tools Checklist!

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911 or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or 1-800-273-8255, or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Enough Is Enough® is a national non-partisan, non-profit organization who has led the fight to make the Internet safer for children and families since 1994. EIE’s efforts are focused on combating Internet p*rnography, child sexual abuse material, sexual predation, sex trafficking and cyberbullying by incorporating a three-pronged prevention strategy with shared responsibilities between the public, Corporate America, and the legal community.