Brand SpotlightYour Healthy Family

Actions

Your Healthy Family: Teens and social media addiction

Posted at 7:27 AM, Mar 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-15 12:56:11-04

Almost everyone is on social media these days, but for teens especially, social media can be addicting. A Cleveland Clinic Children's Psychiatrist said social media, at it's core, is designed to be that way.

“These billion dollar companies that run these apps and develop them actually employ psychologists and people, their whole job is to keep us engaged in whatever app or device that you’re using," Dr. Joseph Austerman said.

He said social media can have both positive and negative impacts. On the positive side, it allows teens to connect with others who have similar hobbies or interests from anywhere in the world. On the negative side, it can take away from real-person interactions, which can play a role in emotional and social development.

Dr. Austerman said parents need to teach kids about the dangers of social media and becoming addicted to it. He also recommends limiting their daily social media use, and monitoring which websites and apps they have access to. He said to set rules, like no cell phones right before bed. He also said to model the behavior you’re trying to teach.

“Kids watch what we do and it’s really hard to tell a kid to be off Tik Tok or Snapchat when you’re sitting on your phone looking and scrolling through Facebook. So you have to model good behavior as well," Dr. Austerman said.