Social media is an ever-present factor in all of our lives, so your older children are likely showing an interest in creating their own accounts. While having a social media account can be a fun way for your kids to connect with their friends, it can also be dangerous if your child isn’t ready for the responsibility. If you’re wondering if your child is ready for their own social media account, consider these signs your child is ready for their own social media account.
Signs Your Child is Ready for Their Own Social Media Account
Legal Age
According to the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act, no child under the age of 13 should have their own social media account. And most major social networks abide by this suggestion. But while this act has been in effect since 2000, many children under 13 have their own accounts on these social networks.
Taking age into consideration should be your first step toward deciding whether your child is ready for their own social media account. Although 13 seems to be the magic number in legal terms, the maturity of your child should also be a factor. Some children may reach teenage maturity before they become teens, while others over the age of 13 may not be mature enough to deal with the responsibility of their own social media account.
Mature Relationships
A good way to gauge whether your tween is ready for their own account is by taking a look at their offline relationships. If your child’s relationships are rocky or tense, it may be a good idea to hold off on a social account. That’s because screen-to-screen interaction among this age group can only add fuel to the fire of bad tween relationships.
On the other hand, if you see healthy relationships between your child and their peers, that’s a step in the right direction. It’s also important that your child can carry on meaningful conversations and understands the importance of real-world manners before they dive into the world of online interactions.
Rule Follower
In order for your children to safely use social media networks, you’ll need to have a lot of rules in place. And if you’re not sure whether or not your child will follow these rules, it’s probably not a good idea to give them access to social media yet. In addition to understanding the importance of following rules in everyday life, your child should also have a firm grasp of why you are enforcing rules for social media. That means being aware of the dangers surrounding these networks and the importance of keeping themselves safe.
Trustworthiness
Following the rules and being trustworthy go hand-in-hand. So, if you feel you can trust your child to make good decisions while using social media and follow the rules you put in place, they may be ready for their own account.
There are a variety of ways you can help gauge your child’s trustworthiness before putting them in charge of their own social media account. Think about other areas of your child’s life they require a degree of trust from you. Would you trust them to stay home alone for a few hours without your supervision? Do you trust them to take care of a younger sibling without your help? The answer to these questions will help you understand exactly how much you trust your child. If you don’t think she’s mature enough to stay home alone, she’s probably not mature enough to spend time alone on a social media platform.
Thick Skin
Being a tween and teen in today’s world can be difficult. But adding social media interactions to the complications they already face each day might be too much for some children to handle. In addition to dealing with the challenges of cyber bullying and adult content, your child will also have to overcome the insecurities of not measuring up to the glossy life some people portray on social media.
Having a thick skin will require that your child have a certain level of maturity that some in this age group haven’t reached yet. If you’re not sure if your child can handle the negative aspects that could come along with social media usage, they’re probably not ready for their own account.
Awkward Conversations
Giving your child access to their own social media account will require you to have awkward conversations on occasion. In addition to the possibility of your child being exposed to pornography, social networks also give other access to them, which could result in interactions with sexual predators or sexting. That means you’re going to need to discuss these dangers with them frequently. And if you feel like your child isn’t ready for these adult conversations, then they’re definitely not ready to deal with these real-world dangers.
Alternatively, if you have already had these conversations with your child or are confident they are mature enough to handle these types of talks, they may be ready to face the challenges and dangers that come along with social media usage.
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