Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
😵💫 Is social media distracting you from connecting with your child? A new study found that excessive social media use makes it more difficult to build a meaningful relationship with your child. Studies have shown that social media can actually benefit parent-child interaction, like watching educational videos or helping parents learn more about their children’s interests … but there’s a limit. Excessive social media use can weaken both the frequency and quality of face-to-face communication. Plus, there’s a significant correlation between overall family stress and social media addiction, which means kids dealing with family conflict and pressure are more likely to relieve their emotions by using social media — which reduces communication and interaction with their parents. Talk about a vicious cycle.
These findings come on the heels of a separate study that found parents’ use of technology in their child’s presence led to negative behaviors in kids under 5, including poorer cognition and social behavior, lower attachment, and higher levels of screen time. Big yikes. The author doesn’t define “excessive social media use,” but we define it as any level of social media use that interferes with your ability to be present with your child (a phenomenon also known as “technoference”). If you’re struggling with your own screen time, here are our tips on how parents can be great digital role models for their kids.
🚫 A majority of kids aren’t reporting online harassment: Seventy-one percent of kids say they’ve experienced harm online, but only 36% say they’ve reported it, according to new findings from Internet Matters. Blocking and reporting tools are meant to help people protect their online experiences by limiting interactions with bullies and flagging inappropriate content for removal, and they’re widely available on platforms like Roblox, TikTok, and Instagram. So, why aren’t kids using them? The report highlighted the following roadblocks in the reporting process: unclear language, confusing processes, concerns about anonymity, and lack of clarity about what happens after a report is submitted.
Blocking and reporting tools are only as good as our ability to use them, and that goes double for kids. While there are steps platforms can take to make their reporting tools better (like making the process clearer and prioritizing reports from kids), parents can play a role, too. Have a conversation with your child about how reporting tools work and when to use them, and make it clear that you’re in this together — your child doesn’t have to navigate problematic comments on their own.
🚨 Kids are destroying Chromebooks for TikTok clout: Kids are letting out some steam at the end of the school year … by vandalizing school-issued Chromebooks. The latest TikTok challenge has students purposefully sticking things in the USB ports, like pencils or pushpins, to short-circuit the system. Some Chromebooks issue a small cloud of smoke. Others ignite. At least one middle schooler is being referred to juvenile court to face charges. Like other viral challenges, TikTok is getting the blame for popularizing the so-called “Chromebook Challenge” — but the reality is that any social platform, like YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels, can expose your child to ridiculous-bordering-on-dangerous trends. On the BrightCanary blog, we’re sharing some tips for how to talk to your child about TikTok challenges and the consequences of their actions.
Parent Pixels is a biweekly newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox a day early? Subscribe here.
It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are? If they’re in their bedroom watching fan theories about the next Marvel movie on YouTube, this is your sign to set summer screen time limits. At the end of the school year, your kid might be tempted to use their devices 24/7. Here are some ways to talk about screen time limits, why they’re a good idea, and how to set them.
✔️ President Trump has signed the Take It Down Act into law, which would criminalize sharing intimate images without consent.
📵 “Until you’re an adult and able to recognise the many ways in which people act deviantly to advance their own interests, you should not be online. The minute there is instant messaging I think it gets dangerous.” The Guardian spoke with digital natives about access to technology and why parents should rethink giving their kids unrestricted access to the internet and social media.
🙅 Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recommends delaying social media access for as long as possible. He cited 16 years old as a benchmark, but the exact age varies from child to child.
