In the digital age we live we are starting to see more and more kids being stressed by social media. Keep reading to learn why this happens and what you can do to help kids fight this social media stress.
Most of us didn’t grow up with the internet and can’t relate to a lot of the younger generations when they get stressed about social media. So often we find ourselves asking, why are children so stressed by social media? Here are the common causes:
- Peer pressure – if they’re friends are on social media a lot they’ll probably do the same just to fit in
- FOMO (Fear of missing out) – so much is happening all the time and it’s so competitive that they don’t want to miss a thing
- Cyberbullying – so many kids have witnessed or experienced some form of cyberbullying and this is upsetting to kids
- Disturbing global news – there is so much access to negative news around the world, it’s sometimes hard to find the happy news stories
So if your children or grandchildren are stressed with social media, what can you tell them?
- Learn to accept that people will have different opinions and respect their values
- Be discerning – just because someone has a great profile, doesn’t mean their life is perfect
- Practice digital balance – limit the screen time and have some real world fun with your friends, without the phones
- Be aware – the world is full of bad and you need to be mature and keep an eye out for that online and on social media