Social media can critically impact the mental health of kids and teens. It’s not just about how much time they spend online but also what they’re seeing and doing there. Plus, everyone’s different, so what affects one person might not affect another in the same way.

Youth, especially those aged 10 to 19, are going through a major brain development phase. This is when they’re figuring out who they are and dealing with all sorts of emotions. Social media can really mess with this development by making them super sensitive to what’s happening online. It literally changes the way their neural pathways develop!

Studies show that spending too much time on social media can make some kids feel less happy with their lives, especially girls aged 11 to 13 and boys aged 14 to 15. It’s like social media is retraining their brains during this crucial growing-up time. The APA suggests 3.5 hours/day as the max; above that the chances for mental harm doubles! Think twice about how much social media exposure kids are getting, especially during those teen years.

Babies under 2: Keep screens away except for chatting with family online. Spend time playing and goofing around instead.

Toddlers (2-5 years old): It’s all about balance. Give them about an hour of cool shows or games a day and watch together to explain stuff.

Kids (6-9 years old): Keep an eye on what they’re watching. Stick to educational stuff mostly and don’t let them get too sucked into games, YouTube and random videos. Build your Family Media Plan by 9!

Pre-teens (10-12 years old): Lay down the rules. No smartphone recommended at this age. Talk about online safety and make sure they are NOT building a screen time habit. Offer healthy alternatives. Monitor their online hangouts.

Teens (13+): Still no need for a smartphone. Keep those screen limits in check. Chat about being smart online, question what they see, and keep an eye on their social media shenanigans.

Easy To Follow Family Guidelines: Question if a smartphone is necessary? See our list of cool alternatives under FAQs.

Limit screen time to under 3.5 hours/day for a teenager.

Keep smartphones out of your child’s school; avoid texting during the school day.

Make sure your child is getting a healthy balance of in person family and friend time/physical activity and hobbies that speak to their interests and their gifts!

Just remember, it’s all about finding that sweet spot between tech time and real-life fun.

Remember to be open, curious and respectful of your kid’s social media use. Ask a lot of questions. Do not criticize them or their friends’ use of social media. You want them to feel able to come to you with any questions/interpretations and even goof-ups that they make online.

So you might ask them:

• Who they follow? What they like about them?
• What they like about connecting with their friends online?
• Show you an app and share how they use it/what they like about it.
• How do they feel when people liking their posts? And how about when they don’t?
• Are there things they see that bother them? How do they handle it?
• How do they feel online? And offline, how do they feeling?
• Do they find they are spending just the right amount of time online? Do they feel that the algorithms and design features just keep them on and on or can they stop at any time?
• And are there things they used to do off line that they miss?