When is the right time to allow your kids to be on social media? This question is often debated and has fluctuating answers to it as well.
While some people argue that kids as young as 8 can access social media platforms, many people say that they shouldn’t be allowed to create their accounts before 15 years of age.
When it comes to deciding about your child’s social media usage, it can be quite tricky.
Young kids often throw a tantrum or try their level best to convince their parents to let them create an account on Facebook or Instagram. Parents often give in to such requests, as they want to put an end to the drama.
Parents of young kids are often worried about their safety and also feel the need to keep an eye on their social media usage habits in the initial years.
The problem of underage usage
Nowadays, most kids get their mobile phones quite early. Be it online classes, the need to have an internet connection or just to look cool by flashing a new gadget, kids have become smarter when it comes to convincing their parents. As soon as a kid has his own personal mobile phone, it doesn’t take much time for him to mark his presence across social media platforms. Most kids secretively create their social media accounts, without the knowledge of their parents. With the onset of technology, there are certain apps and tricks which hide the particular app. This way kids manage to fool their parents easily. In order to avoid such a scenario, it is important to decide the right age to give your child a smartphone, as well as allow him to access social media sites.
Right age to allow usage
We all know that there are all types of people present on social media and all types of content circulates over there. It is recommended that you let your child access it only after he or she gains a little bit of maturity. 13 is probably the right age to introduce your child to the world of social media – however, under some level of supervision. Most kids start pressuring their parents to get them a mobile phone by this age. Once your child enters his teenage years, it becomes a bit tricky to control them, as even if you don’t allow them to create accounts on social media, they will find a secretive way to do so. It is better to avoid such a situation, as after this your child might start hiding things from you. Earn your kids trust and make certain terms and conditions clear to him. Maintain transparency, while giving him the much needed privacy as well. A balance of everything will help you as well as your child in dealing with it.
