We often have families ask about social media use, and until recently, there has not been a lot of great research. As we help families in the Red Bank area navigate concerns with social media we are always looking for resources to share.

A recent article published in JAMA, Social Media Use and Well-Being Across Adolescent Development, compared the amount of time teens spend on social media to their well-being. In short, "moderate after-school social media use was linked to the highest well-being outcome," while teens that did not use social media at all "were more likely to experience decreased well-being in later adolescence."

The goal is to find the right amount or just enough time on social media for all teens. In my experience, families that are proactive and involve their teens in the social media decision-making process often have the best outcomes. Proactive work involves educating teens on being safe on social media, setting clear guidelines and limits for how long/when social media is allowed, and transparency that parents will have access or be able to see what their child is posting on social media. As teens become older, parents can become more lenient and flexible.

An analogy that comes to mind is a teen learning how to drive a car. Even though there are inherent risks to driving, we wouldn't want to prevent them from driving a car or give them keys to a car the minute they turn 16. The general course of action for teens learning how to drive is taking a driving class, practicing driving with a driving instructor, driving with an adult in the car, then a probationary license with restrictions, with the goal being to receive their full license a few years later. Having these graduated steps in driving is a good framework for teens as they learn about social media and how to use it.

Guest feature by Dr. Gambino, https://gambinopsych.com/