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New recommendations for kids' social media use
It’s a nightmare for a lot of parents: worrying about their kids on social media. But now, an influential group of psychologists says they might be able to help out. FOX 5’s Josh Rosenthal is in Bethesda to explain how.
It’s a bit of a scary subject: kids and social media.
"I think they’re controlled by it," said parent Buddy Vagnoni.
"I just think it’s a little bit too much for some of our kids right now," added Nadine Parker.
Now though, some potentially helpful advice – with the American Psychological Association issuing recommendations on the topic Tuesday for the very first time.
"We thought as mental health professionals, seeing the number of people who are engaged in social media at even younger and younger ages, that it would be important for us to weigh in based on the science," explained American Psychological Association President Dr. Thema Bryant.
Altogether the group issued 10 recommendations, with one of the big ones being that kids should be trained in social media literacy. So, just like kids are trained before they can drive, the group recommends training them before they can use social media too.
They also recommend that adults monitor younger kids’ social media use, and while they said it’s important that social media doesn’t interfere with adolescents’ sleep or physical activity, they added that there are some pluses that may come with the screen time too.
"We really come from the vantage point that it is a neutral space where there can be things that your children find that can be life-enhancing and for some even lifesaving," Bryant said.
To see the full list of recommendations, you can click here.