Public Report

Recommendations

Why do teens discuss their negative experiences with social media so little with their parents? Our conversations with them showed that parents then take it too seriously and that the teens are afraid that they will no longer be allowed on that platform or will be restricted in some other way. It is therefore important that parents have an open conversation about the possible negative influence of their child's social media. They should approach these discussions with a neutral attitude and ask about their children's experiences without judgment. When parents are overly concerned, they end up learning less about what their child is really going through. Many teens admit in the conversations that social media are 'addictive'. This is especially true for the latest generation of social media, such as TikTok and BeReal. Some teens have their own strategies to combat the addictive effect of social media. This can vary from deleting a certain app, to unfollowing certain accounts or following a different type of account. For example, accounts that promote 'body positivity' or that only bring positive news.

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