It’s never easy to watch a child struggle: our instinct is to protect them from pain and solve the problem. But if our ultimate goal is to help them become resilient and capable adults, the trick for parents is to find opportunities for them to learn life skills and grow from sometimes difficult experiences.
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With the school year getting underway — in-person after what might have been a very long wait – our adolescents are probably more driven than ever to connect with friends in sports and clubs and just socially. That’s entirely appropriate from a developmental perspective: teen brains are “wired” for connection with peers. At the same time, while kids are taking on increasingly busy schedules and doubling down on activities, it’s essential for us parents to maintain a consistent and mostly positive presence in their lives (i.e., not just “nagging”).
We know that social media can be problematic if we don’t help our kids become savvy consumers. At a level beyond the effects of social media on teenagers, “The Social Dilemma” is a rallying cry to sensible people who want to prevent a hyper-polarized future, in which democracies can’t address the toughest problems because citizens lack a shared understanding of what’s true. If this leaves you wondering what to do, the filmmakers created a robust set of tools and actions you can initiate: click here to find it.
In terms of what to do as a parent, here are some suggestions:
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In its first month on Netflix earlier this fall, “The Social Dilemma” was viewed 38 million times. Learning that gave me hope, a feeling that the documentary offers sparingly. It does provide compelling information and a sense of urgency about social media and its effects on us and on the world, so watch it if you haven’t. And talk about it with your kids, too.
As a high school teacher for 16 years, I taught teens how to assess whether information they found on the Internet was authoritative. As a dean, I helped students engage with critical issues like minding their online reputation for years to come as well as respecting others.
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