The other day the Surgeon General said that 13 is too young for kids to be on social media. See an article on the announcement here. Considering that an increasing amount of suicides and acts of self-harm are being linked directly to social media, and we have been well aware of the violence and vitriol that has been present for years on social media, this opinion makes sense. And I couldn't agree more.

So when is a good time for kids to be on social media? Recently parents have also been increasingly asking me the question of the appropriateness of smartphones and other smart devices for their children. I think parents should be skeptical of the biases and agendas of people volunteering advice. Instead, I encourage parents to start researching what other parents and experts say about these topics. Recently I was recommended to check out Screen Sanity. This is a good resource, but it should probably not be the only place you get your info.

In my opinion, technology and social media for children are a good hill to die on. By that, I mean that the limits you place on your children are worth the inevitable protest. Tech and social media are good places for a parent to focus their energy. Perhaps the Pandemic led to some media and tech practices that you think need to be readdressed. Maybe you've drifted in your tech use monitoring for your children and feel they could use a course correction. Be especially critical of the messages you get that once you've introduced something or allowed your children some access, you cannot go back. Of course you can, and probably should.