The United States’ top public health official, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, thinks social media platforms should come with warning labels. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has said smartphones should be banned in schools. Chinese regulators have called for children’s smartphone use to be limited to two hours a day.
These are just a few high-profile examples that illustrate growing global concern about the risks young people face when using the internet. These concerns are backed up by extensive global research. Social media use has been linked to feelings of jealousy, depression and anxiety among young people around the world, including in African countries.
Reading this evidence can be depressing, especially for parents and guardians of teens. Many of you may want to confiscate your teen’s cell phones, lock away their tablets, and keep them as far away from the Internet as possible. But in our hyper-connected digital world, this is neither practical nor helpful.
Although we come from different academic disciplines as children’s rights researchers, moral philosophers and clinical researchers, our current work focuses on the same thing: the ethics of new technologies and their impacts.
We know that protecting children is a shared responsibility. Governments, service providers and education systems all have a role to play. But parents are key. So, drawing from our ongoing research, we offer three messages to parents navigating today’s minefield:
First, the internet and social media are not necessarily bad for kids: some online spaces can help young people manage their mental health.
Secondly, children and young people have the right to access information, to share their opinions and to have their opinions respected.
Third, by building a strong foundation of open, loving and trusting communication, we can help children avoid risks, recognise ethical pitfalls and enjoy the benefits of social media platforms.
The benefits of online spaces
Although it is true that using the Internet carries risks, there is also evidence that it can be beneficial for young people.
For example, interactive features such as social media, blogs, forums and user-generated content platforms enable social interaction and connection. These online spaces allow children to interact with their peers, share interests and build communities. They also provide an outlet for creativity and self-expression, helping children develop digital literacy skills and shape their identity.
Some online spaces can help children and teens manage their mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of digital mental health services, including free platforms that connect children with counselors, chatbots, text tools, and apps that offer support to children and parents. Childline South Africa’s free online chat service is one example.
Children’s rights
Too many societies and communities forget that children, just like adults, have rights.
In South Africa, for example, children’s rights are enshrined in section 28 of the Constitution.
Globally, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989) guarantees children the right to access information, freedom of association, the right to share their ideas freely and to have them respected, health, including mental health, privacy, non-discrimination, protection, education and play.
Recently, the United Nations issued guidelines on children’s rights in the digital environment.
Several countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China and the UK, now have online safety laws in place to protect children and adolescents.
Some parents may wonder why every country doesn’t have laws to mitigate the risks posed by social media platforms. In reality, such regulations are difficult to implement and enforce.
African countries have lagged behind in regulating online safety for minors. South Africa is working on a white paper aimed at protecting children from harmful content and ensuring that content meets their needs. But it is still in draft form, and it could be years before any new laws or regulations come into force.
But there’s no need to wait for parents to start teaching their kids how to use the internet safely.
Trust and communication
Some parents may worry that they don’t have the skills or knowledge to adequately support their teens, but remember that parents are always tackling new things: setting boundaries for young children, teaching them to read and write, and later, managing the mood swings of adolescence, discussing sex, and counseling them through their first breakup.
Anna Frank
When it comes to safe browsing and use of the internet, parents and guardians can help their children in two main ways.
First, make open, trusting, and loving communication a priority, starting from when your children are young. Kids are always growing, so the things you discuss will change over time. You can start talking to your child about the internet and social media when you feel they’re ready. This will be different for each child.
Read more: Social media for sex education: South African youth explain how social media helps them
Second, it helps develop kids’ critical thinking skills – enabling them to analyse and evaluate information and arguments in a clear, rational and objective way. Parents and caregivers can encourage their children to ask questions, challenge their assumptions and change the way they see things. There are also programmes like Web Rangers that can help develop these skills so kids can become responsible digital citizens.
Children who can think critically gain the confidence to rely on their own reasoning rather than simply blindly accepting the attitudes of others. These skills help them make responsible choices.
It’s also important to take the time to build trust with your children. Parenting in the digital age isn’t just about fear-based responses like limiting screen time and parental supervision. Critical competencies are developed through negotiation and engagement. And of course, these skills are universally applicable and safeguard other areas of a child’s life.
