Social Media & Int. Web Guide

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A guide for parents

Navigating safe social Media and Internet Use

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What can I do? Where can I find more support & education?

What are the risks I should know about, & how can I manage them with my child?

How does media impact & target youth?

What apps are popular & how do they work?

Questions this Guide aims to answer:

Main Menu

Reference Page

Privacy

Media Literacy

Mental Health

About The Apps

Sexting

Access to Substances

RI Regional Resources

Conversation Starters

Utilizing AI

Resources

Risks Online

Social Media & Ads

Gas

X (Twitter)

Twitch

Spotify

Roblox

BeReal

TikTok

Snapchat

Instagram

Youtube

Recommendations for Parents

Problematic Content

The Benefits

Excessive Use

Social Media's Impact on Mental Health

(American Addiction Centers, 2022), (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2023)

the voluntary self-regulatory codes

• Sponsored ads, ‘pop-ups’, in newsfeeds or stories
• Personal data
• Engaging fans via creating official brand profile content is highly interactive and easily shared- frequently breaches

• Influencers allow companies to bypass codes and advertise directly to young followers

The fact is...

• 40,000+ alcohol ads per year are on Instagram and Facebook alone
• 93% of 16 to 17-year-olds have seen alcohol ads

How companies use targeted ads:

Media Literacy

Parent hack:

(Friese et al., 2013) (The University of Sydney, 2022)

• 80% of teens purchased the last vape they used from a friend
• “I don’t know anybody who has a fake ID because you really don’t need it here. If you really want to drink, you can go get a drink, like I said everybody has connections […] it’s a small town.”

• Not always strict on checking IDs
• Some teens use Fake IDs
• 45% non-relative, 24% relative

• Easy
• Many sites don't require age verification
• Some offer discrete packaging

Accessing Substances

Retail stores

Online Purchases

sOCIAL cIRCLE

Social Media's Role

(Vaughan, 2023), (Enough is Enough, 2024), (Verrastro, 2023), (Bergman, 2024)

Sexting: Exchange of messages videos and photos with explicit sexual content through smartphone appsSextortion: Perpetrators threaten to expose sexual images to coerce victims to provide additional pictures, engage in sexual activity, demand money, or agree to other demands

• 33% of cyberbullying is sexual
• 48% of adolescents participate in sexting
• 6% of preteens aged 11-13 sext
• 26,718 reports of financial sextortion in 2023
• About half of sextortion involves minors

Sexual Health Risks

Prevalence of risky behavior

Privacy

Tagging & Sharing Location

Activity Status

Reducing Exposure to Paid Ads

Know the Risks

How it can be used as a tool:

Utilizing ai as a tool

Tracking Locations

Substance Use

AI

Communicating & Relationships

Creating Safe Media Plans

Advertising

Mental Health

Text button

Sextortion

Social Media

Conversational Guides

My Life My Quit

Parent Support Network of RI

URI Media Education Lab

How Teens Get Trapped in Sextortion

ConnectSafely Resource Guides

RI Regional Prevention Resources

Screenagers

Resource Hub

tHANK YOU!

(Shaner, 2024)

• 44% of students report being likely to use artificial intelligence (AI) for their schoolwork
• Deepfakes:
• Videos
• Calls
• Pornographic images
• Music

The Risks of AI:

(The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2024)

Privacy Settings

• Restrict posts and direct messages to followers only
• Block and mute accounts
• Restrict discoverability by email and phone number

Controversy

• Owner, Elon Musk, made changes to the platform in 2023 which made it a less reliable information source
• 'Block 'and 'mute' functions changed allowing more cyber bullying

(Formally Twitter)

About

• Short messages under 280 characters
• Users have 'Handles' or usernames allowing them to be followed and tagged or mentioned via an @ sign
• Hashtags (#) track posts/ attract users to a topic - ex) #beachday or #grammys
• Cashtags ($) used to follow a company's investments - ex) $TSLA for Tesla, Inc.

(Internetmatters.org, n.d.)

Tools for Parents:

• Restricted Mode
• Supervised Experiences
• Monitor Viewing History
• Screen Time Limits

• Videos
• Channels
• Likes, Comments, & Shares
• Playlists
• YouTube Kids & Premium

Features:

YouTube

• Online video-sharing platform
• Watch, like, share, comment on, & upload videos

(Hughes, 2023)

Understanding risks with each app is important

Sexual abuse is common on many social media apps

16% of young adults in the U.S. experience sexual abuse online before the age of 18 (UNH, 2022)

Apps are constantly changinG.

The Decline...

About:

App discontinued, but learn why it matters...

Gas

• 'Gas' someone up by giving a compliment
• Anonymous and poll-based, users answer questions about their friends

• Speculations of ties to sex trafficking
• Despite speculations being found untrue, downloads decreased by 97%
• App removed November 2023

A similar app:

(Sanaulla, 2019)

~15 million daily users

Risks

• Livestreaming is uncensored
• Many games have an 18+ rating and contain graphic content

Settings and controls:

Twitch

• Livestreaming platform to watch or share video gameplay
• Popular games streamed: Fortnite, League of Legends, Grand Theft Auto
• Other content: music performances, cookery demonstrations, tutorials on arts and crafts, and an IRL (In Real Life) section where people live-stream their lives

• Livestream settings can filter to moderate language in chat rooms
• Youth 13-18 can only use platform under guardian supervision

Making Videos:

• Add filters and sounds
• Users engage with other users, through “response” videos or “duets” (duplicate a video and add themselves alongside)
• Hashtags promote “challenges” or trends

(D’Souza, et. al, 2024)

~4.7 billion downloads as of February, 2024Children spend ~75 minutes per day

• Watch, create, and share short videos (content)
• "Influencers" create paid content via company sponsorships
• For You Page a never-ending page is an algorithmic feed based on videos you’ve interacted with or watched
• Private and public accounts

About:

TikTok

Queer Inclusivity Booklet

Incredible Years Program

Catch My Breath ToolKit

Parent Backpack

Teen World: A Guide for Parents

Talking to Your Child: Alcohol and Substances

(Bonnhy, 2023), (Katella, 2024)

• People target adolescents for sexual and financial extortion

Ex) Catfishing

• Access to all forms of content
• Deaths related to self-harm related content

Sexual Exploitation

Unrealistic Ideas

Problematic Content

Dangerous Behaviors

• Edited and filtered photos create unrealistic body image
• Influencers promoting trends, products, and unrealistic lifestyles often leading to 'FOMO'

(Sanaulla, 2024)

It's a music streaming platform... what makes it social media?

Spotify

• Users create profiles with a photo
• Follow other users, bands, and artists
• Collaborative playlists
• Can see what friends are listening to

(Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2023)

(X)

Reduce Exposure to Paid Ads and Inappropriate Content

(Elgersma, 2018)

• Age requirement not checked
• Chat settings & screenshots
• Sexting
• Photo-editing tools and "Filters"

Challenges:

• Quick and simple way to share moments
• Messages are meant to disappear but don't actually
• To add friends: Upload contacts, search for people you know, or automatically add a user via their "Snapcode"
• Photos—not text—usually start communication

• Ways to share: Individually, group chats, group stories, main story
• Photos can be saved regularly & in 'My eyes only'

Need to knows:

SnapChat

Snap scores increase with the number of snaps sent...

Tap on Bitmoji > Settings (tool icon) > Scroll to Privacy controls > Activity Indicator > Switch off

Snapchat

Settings and privacy > Privacy > Activity status > Switch off

TikTok

Settings and activity > Messages and story replies > Show activity status > Switch off

Instagram

Activity Status:

Allows followers to see when you are online...

Should You Track Your Teen’s Location?

The Conversation:

Discussing Location Sharing

The Apps

Pros and Cons

Tracking Locations

Deciding to Track:

(Katella, 2024), (Sandhu, 2024)

• Positive connections with peers who have common interests/ identities
• Diversification of community
• Access to AI

Pew Research Center: 58% felt more accepted 67% more support during tough times71% have a place to be creative80% more connected to events in friend's lives

Benefits Worth Talking About

(Sprout Social, 2022)

BeReal

About:

• Share what they are doing at the moment
• 'Time to BeReal': Users all receive a notification at a random time once a day
• Cannot see other's posts until you post
• If posted outside of a 2-3 minute window, the post will say, 'Late'
• Number of times a picture is taken before posted will be viewable
• No 'Like' option, but reactions using a selfie or RealMoji (selfie reactions a user can make)

Snapchat

• Live location sharing
• Tagging locations on posts

Instagram

• Tagged location on posts
• Livestreams
• Common to share locations, nationality, and school in bio

Tagging & Sharing Location

• Telling others you are away from home
• Increased risk of stalking
• Increased risk of catfishing/ extortion

• Two-factor authentication
• Block other accounts
• Settings and activity...

> Content preferences> Limit interactions> Tags and mentions> Private account

Privacy Features:

(Eldridge, 2024)

Direct Message

Captions

Live Streams

Stories

inSTAGRAM pROFILE

Reels

Posts

Shares

Likes

~72% of teens

Instagram

(Zubair, 2023), (Katella, 2024)

It's not simply from using apps but certain behaviors exhibited on them!

The more 'time spent scrolling' the more...

Overstimulation of the brain's reward center: Constant stimulation can trigger the brain in similar ways to addiction.

How Excessive Use Impacts Teens

• Problems sleeping
• Struggles with attention
• Feelings of exclusion
• Development of clinical anxiety disorders
• Participating in negative behaviors such as alcohol overuse and self-harm

(Common Sense Media, 2024), (Garrett, 2023)

Free, but not really

• Users can interact while playing various games
• Connect users via friend requests
• Individual and group chat rooms to talk with others

Where social media comes in:

(CNN, 2023)

Roblox

"One of the most popular virtual playgrounds on the planet"

• Gaming platform with dozens of user-created games made with Roblox Studio
• Games for all ages from role-playing to rhythm tiles to shooters
• Users under 18 need parental permission to play

• 'Robux' is the in-game currency, ex) $4.99 = 400 Robux

• Paid premium subscription gives monthly Robux allowances

(Katella, 2024)

Follow your own social media rules.

Be mindful of how you approach the conversation.

Facilitate open communication, even when a mistake is made.

Don't have devices in the bedroom.

Determine the right age for your child to use social media.

Jump to Conversational Guides

Tips for Parents: