Practical Tips to Prep Your Child for Back-to-School Season
School season has begun! here are some practical tips to help your child get a head start in wellness!
"No Tech" Time Out for Change.
In an ever changing environment with the development of new technology everyday, it is difficult to not be concerned about how it affects your child. Over the last five years social media has become an integral part of teenager’s life. Platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are a crucial form of modern culture and communication. Although there are many benefits to social media, excessive usage may have damaging effects on one’s mental health.
One of the most common effects is low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. This can be felt at any stage in your life but is most damaging in one’s youth. On social media people usually present the best most glorified versions of themselves. Although this presentation is not truthful, children and teenagers will still compare their own lives to those online, leading to the belief that they are uninteresting and boring. Continually feeling this way can eventually lead to anxiety and depression, which will affect all aspects of their lives.
While it isn’t feasible to completely cut out social media, there are steps that can minimize the negative effects.
- Encourage Outdoor Activities: Try to prompt your teens and young adults to go out with their friends and play sports. One can even make it a family activity by going biking around the neighborhood together or going hiking.
- Be Aware and Start an Open Dialogue: An important conversation to have with one’s child is how to handle pressures of social media. One should also let them know it’s okay to take a step back and if they start feeling depressed and anxious they can reach out to their parents.
- Keep Certain Activities in the House — Phone Free: Parents can’t control every aspect of their household and phones are necessary in some aspects of the modern world. However, parents can limit certain activities to being “phone-free,” like at the dinner table.
The world is changing and as caregivers, parents want to keep up with every trend the could potentially hurt your child. And completely removing technology is not the solution, being aware, actively listening to your child and cutting some “no tech” time out, are great ways to start living a better mentally healthier lifestyle for both parent and child.
Notes:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/home-base/201802/the-social-media-disconnect
https://childmind.org/report/2017-childrens-mental-health-report/smartphones-social-media
AAP recommendations
https://www.psycom.net/social-media-depression-teens
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