Key takeaways for healthcare providers
- Building a healthy relationship with technology includes not only protecting young people, but also supporting their positive experiences online.
- Helping high school students navigate the digital world requires strategies similar to those for their personal activities: monitoring, spending time together on the Internet whenever possible, educating them about risks, and communicating.
- Ongoing communication is critical. Talk about your values and expectations, ask what young users do online, and listen to their thoughts on those experiences.
- Parents cannot do it alone. Digital technology companies and policy makers need to ensure that the online spaces where young people spend their time support healthy development while keeping them safe.
to protect And supporting young people on the internet are both important
Parents often ask what they can do to protect their children online. This is a good question. But another important question that needs to be asked is how we can do better support our youth on the internet?
As mothers of teens and teens, we are always looking for ways to protect our children from harm. One of us is also a developmental psychologist who has been studying adolescent mental health for over two decades and learned that we need to protect both And support our children – especially around the high school years as they transition into adolescence and into online spaces.
That’s why we recently released a report on what research tells us about amplifying the benefits of digital technology for this age group and calling on tech companies and policymakers to take an evidence-based approach to protection And youth support. But even as we urge technology makers to do better, there are steps parents and other carers can take to protect and support positive use of digital technology for young people.
Promoting healthy development and well-being with positive online experiences
Early adolescence (from about 10 to 13 years old, or the high school years) is an important window when positive experiences that support learning and connection can affect development. Go on the internet to create, contributeor connect can be positive experiences for young people. Online experiences provide a new space for adolescents to express their creativity, discover who they are and where they belong, support causes they care about, and connect with peers in ways that can improve their relationships.
Watching, creating and participating in online spaces together can provide opportunities for positive shared experiences and allow parents to identify any risks or content that makes them uncomfortable.
Encouraging these kinds of positive experiences online doesn’t require an entirely new set of parenting skills. Instead, parents can use strategies similar to those used when kids walk out the door to go to school or hang out with their friends in the park. Parent cannot be everywhere or see everything. But they can find out who their kids are with, what they do, and how they feel about it, which can reduce problems. This kind of monitoring and communication can also help young people navigate the online world.
Safe internet for young people
Parents need to keep a number of critical things in mind to ensure their children are safe with online content. During early adolescence, when youth is particularly sensitive social feedback and belonging, increased exposure to bullying, pornography, unhealthy body images, and harmful targeted advertising can have amplified effects.
Parents should also be aware that some adolescents, for example those with mental health issues and those already struggling with body image issues, may be more sensitive view negative content on the internet and have negative online experiences than their peers. Knowing your child is key.
Caregivers also need to understand that the use of technology also leaves a digital trail that can follow young people into adulthood by creating a sort of permanent record of images and comments that would otherwise be forgotten or excused due to age and immaturity.
Moreover, sleep is critical to physical health, mental health and learning during adolescence, so families should limit late night use of technology as it gets in the way of youth getting more than eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.
How parents and carers can support and protect young people by making the internet safer
Parents and carers can make the internet safer by:
- Monitor and be aware
- Where possible together on the internet
- Educating young people
- Communicating with young people
- Use helpful resources
1. Monitor and be aware
Unlike physical places where young people go that are out of the sight of their parents, digital technology offers opportunities to monitor where young people have been online, ideally with the knowledge and consent of young people. Parental supervision — such as content filters, time limits, and applications that enable monitoring of online activity — can help.
2. Use the internet together where possible
Viewing, creating and participating in online spaces together can provide opportunities for positive shared experiences and allow parents to identify risks or content that makes them uncomfortable.
3. Educate young people
Parents can explain the potential risks of using digital technology, discuss the importance of keeping personal information safe, and moderating screen time to make room for personal activities. Developing one family media plan with your child can help start a conversation about the types of activities and platforms children are allowed to spend time on, and will allow young adolescents to have a say in any rules that apply to their use.
4. Communicating with young people
Talking to your child about what they see or experience on the internet should become part of everyday conversations. When young people are exposed to age-inappropriate content or encounter problematic experiences such as cyberbullying or social rejection, having an adult to talk to can make a difference. (Common Sense media offers cues to start talking, from conversations about activities to more specific concerns about emotional health and negative feelings.)
5. Using Helpful Resources
Parents and teachers have access to a growing list of sources to support children online, including:
Designing technology to support young people
Even with the best efforts of parents, it is impossible to monitor every child’s online interaction. As parents, we have limited control over how our children’s data is handled and stored, the types of targeted advertising they are exposed to, and the features designed to encourage them to stay on the Internet for extended periods of time.
Talking to your child about what they see or experience online should become part of your daily conversations.
We expect the physical spaces where our children spend time, such as public parks, sports fields, and classrooms, to help them grow and learn while keeping them safe. Digital spaces should be the same. Some legislators are working on this.
Last year, for example, California passed an invoice that requires digital technology companies to protect the privacy and personal data of young users, limit dangerous content, and maintain default settings that prioritize safety. New York is considering similar legislation. While changes that improve safety are important, companies and policies must also consider regulations and design features that intentionally promote positive development in online spaces where young people congregate.
What should healthcare providers know about fair access to digital technology?
Research clearly shows that children in families and schools with fewer resources receive less guidance tailored to learning when navigating the online world than their peers in families and schools with more resources. Adolescents from minorities and marginalized communities – such as young people of color and LGBTQ+ young people – are at the highest risk of online harassment and victimization, even if they report positive experiences, such as finding “safe havens” and community on the Internet that may not be available to them in their physical environment.
While the discussion of technology usually focuses on limiting screen time, too many students are unable to access the basic benefits of technology, especially for learning and education. Black and Hispanic students and students from lower-income families are more likely to have limited access devices and internet than their peers.
To address these gaps, many school districts are working to offer free or less expensive Wi-Fi to students. Families needing help affording reliable internet access and connected devices can contact their local school district or apply for the Affordable connectivity program.
In addition, digital technology companies and policymakers must develop digital solutions and innovations that make this possible make the online world a place of opportunity rather than creating additional risk for our most vulnerable young people.
Conclusion
Early adolescence offers new opportunities for connection building, education, and healthy learning and exploration. If we focus the conversation around ‘teens and technology’ only on protection, we may be missing out on opportunities to meet young people where they are and build online environments that meet their needs.
Parents and caregivers play an important role in helping our children develop a healthy relationship with digital technologies. That includes talking to them directly about potential risks of online interactions and how to moderate digital technology use, monitoring where possible to see what children are doing on the internet, and setting limits to ensure that technology supports sleep and other important activities do not interfere with well-being. Most importantly, we build strong relationships with our children so that they tell us what’s going on and when they’re having a hard time.
But we cannot do this alone. It is time for the owners, designers and creators of the online spaces where young people spend their time to step forward and build environments that support young people while keeping them safe. We need to ask different types of questions so that we learn not only how to protect our children, but also how to support our children’s healthy development in an increasingly digital world.