(ii) Determining if your child is ready for social media

As a parent, you may wonder if there is an ideal age for your child to start using social media. With emerging evidence that social media content may negatively affect children’s self-identity and well-being, do not give children under 13 years old access to social media services. Major social media services require users to be at least 13 years old. As children develop at different rates, it is also important to consider your child’s maturity when determining their readiness.

*The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a US law that protects the privacy of children aged 12 and under by preventing US-based technology companies from collecting and disseminating children’s personal information.

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How do you know when your child is ready to access social media?

How do you know when your child is ready to access social media?

To determine if your child is mature enough to begin accessing social media, you can observe their social and emotional skills.

This includes abilities like:

Controlling impulses

Managing pressures and emotions

Making safe and responsible decisions

(e.g. seeking help from trusted adults when needed)

To learn more about the signs that your child is ready for their first social media account and how you can introduce them to a positive and safe experience online, click here.

Once you have determined that they are ready, discuss with them their responsibilities and your expectations of their social media use.

This can include:

Acceptable and unacceptable behaviours
Clear rules on healthy social media use
Consequences for misuse of social media

Reach an agreement with them on monitoring their social media use and help them understand that this allows you to guide them in navigating this online space. As you discuss the rules of social media use, remember to actively involve your child so they can better understand the importance of the rules set.