CLEVELAND — Social media use in teens is now being labeled a "mental health crisis." Just last week, the U.S. Surgeon General called for reform and legislation from our lawmakers to help protect kids. And last month, he supported the findings of the American Psychological Association that recommended schools start to teach social media literacy classes.
In this week's Mom Squad, Maureen Kyle talks to Laura Tierney, a social media professional who started a program called "The Social Institute." This program is being adopted by schools nationwide, including at Laurel School.
It teaches kids and parents how to use these platforms in positive ways and stay away from the negatives.
“One phrase that I would encourage all of us parents to lock in on is this idea of ‘huddle’ instead of ‘helicopter,' says Tierney. “When you hear that long list of negatives your mind can immediately go to, ‘Gosh I gotta helicopter I got to really look over their shoulder and monitor everything that they do.'”
“In reality, research shows research that came out from Penn State University before the pandemic showed that kids want to ‘huddle’ with their parents about negative situations they face online. But they fear their parents might overreact and confiscate a device or restrict access," Tierney said.
Tierney says the more parents use the “huddle” approach with their kids, the more they build trust.
In this episode, Maureen and Laura go in depth about how to teach kids how to handle the pressures that come with social media, how to portray themselves and how to handle cyber bullying.
You can watch the full interview on WKYC-plus which you can find on Roku and Fire TV. If you don't have those, you can watch on the WKYC YouTube channel or below.
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