PWCS offers detailed guidance on internet safety and social media for students on their webpage.  

Tips on guiding children through social media challenges

Raising children is hard. While technology has been helpful in many ways, it has also created new difficulties. Recording a viral TikTok dance or lip sync may seem harmless, yet some social media challenges pose potential risks to youth mental wellness and physical safety. Even if your child does not have a TikTok or Snapchat account, other children do, and discuss these potentially dangerous challenges with their peers.

• Communicate with your child.
  • Ask how they feel about social media challenges. Model how to consider the physical and psychological risks versus benefits in the discussion. Be sure to use the same terms and language as the child.
  • Ask what their friends are doing. Sometimes this takes the pressure off your child and makes it easier for them to talk about harder topics.
  • Avoid lecturing. Keeping a two-way discussion is critical in maintaining an open relationship; your child will be more likely to come to you with other difficult topics.
  • Find out what motivates their participation. Is it connection or feeling included? Brainstorm and discuss alternatives that could fulfill the same need.
• Familiarize yourself with the current apps your child is using. Find the application’s safety tools and use them. For example, TikTok enacted a “Dangerous Acts and Challenges” policy within its Community Guidelines.
• Stay informed. Do your research on the challenges and search for the hashtag.

Not all social media challenges are bad. Some involve fitness, fundraising, or only fun. Online safety tools can be helpful but do not replace cautious parenting. Be informed and talk with your child frequently. Together we can help cultivate their mental wellness and keep them safe. For more information on social media, parenting, and mental health see Common Sense Media and National Alliance for Mental Health.

Raising children is hard. While technology has been helpful in many ways, it has also created new difficulties. Recording a viral TikTok dance or lip sync may seem harmless, yet some social media challenges pose potential risks to youth mental wellness and physical safety. Even if your child does not have a TikTok or Snapchat account, other children do, and discuss these potentially dangerous challenges with their peers.

• Communicate with your child.
  • Ask how they feel about social media challenges. Model how to consider the physical and psychological risks versus benefits in the discussion. Be sure to use the same terms and language as the child.
  • Ask what their friends are doing. Sometimes this takes the pressure off your child and makes it easier for them to talk about harder topics.
  • Avoid lecturing. Keeping a two-way discussion is critical in maintaining an open relationship; your child will be more likely to come to you with other difficult topics.
  • Find out what motivates their participation. Is it connection or feeling included? Brainstorm and discuss alternatives that could fulfill the same need.
• Familiarize yourself with the current apps your child is using. Find the application’s safety tools and use them. For example, TikTok enacted a “Dangerous Acts and Challenges” policy within its Community Guidelines.
• Stay informed. Do your research on the challenges and search for the hashtag.

Not all social media challenges are bad. Some involve fitness, fundraising, or only fun. Online safety tools can be helpful but do not replace cautious parenting. Be informed and talk with your child frequently. Together we can help cultivate their mental wellness and keep them safe. For more information on social media, parenting, and mental health see Common Sense Media and National Alliance for Mental Health.