CLEVELAND — With the rise of social media, kids are being exposed to a lot of information and trends at younger and younger ages. When children are taking in videos and content that are mature, it makes it seem like they are growing up too fast.
MORE TOPICS: Mom Squad with 3News' Maureen Kyle
We see young girls doing makeup tutorials on TikTok, doing dances that are a little too provocative and boys talking about topics that are extremely mature.
In this edition of Mom Squad, 3News' Maureen Kyle talks with Dr. Kim bell, a Clinical Psychologist with the Hanna Perkins Center for Childhood Development.
She says kids are being exposed to more information they might not be ready for and it's affecting more than just their behavior.
“Because they are exposed to things they don't have any control over,” says Bell. “And then they try to behave in more mature ways, which is really putting on maturity like a costume. It's not a true maturity. It's a pretend maturity, and so it's the way they dress and it's the way they carry themselves or it's the language they use.”
This can lead to increased anxiety or even depression in kids and teens, which is something we've seen with the rise of social media.
Bell says it’s smart for parents to limit exposure to content on social media, but also realize it’s hard to completely shelter them.
“But if you can't get away from the information, then you have to be talking about the information. You have to be answering questions,” says Bell.
So how can you handle it? And how do you react when you think your kid is acting too maturely? You can catch the entire episode on WKYC plus and our WKYC YouTube page.