Parents Urged to Secure Child’s Mental Health by Restricting Social Media Amid Security Concerns
Amid growing concerns about the potential dissemination of graphic videos by Hamas, schools, psychologists, and safety groups are advising parents to take action by disabling or implementing restrictions on their children’s social media apps. The worry is that such videos may emerge, showing hostages captured during the Israel-Gaza war. Protecting a child’s mental health can be achieved by employing available safeguards.
The ongoing conflict in the region has seen disturbing content, including videos of hostages and injured civilians, widely circulated on various social media platforms. This continuous exposure to distressing content can take a significant toll on the mental well-being of minors, leading to a cycle of harm to their mental health.
Clinical psychologist Alexandra Hamlet emphasizes that children are particularly vulnerable to such content, lacking the emotional control to disengage from upsetting material and the cognitive tools to process and make sense of what they are witnessing.
To protect children from such exposure, parents can employ various measures, including setting up boundaries using parental control features on mobile operating systems such as iOS’s Screen Time tool and Android’s Google Family Link app. These tools allow parents to manage their child’s phone activity, restrict access to certain apps, and flag inappropriate content.
Social media platforms also offer options for added security. TikTok, for instance, provides a Family Pairing feature that allows parents to restrict content and filter out videos with inappropriate words or hashtags. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, offers educational resources for parents on user safety and tools to set time limits on Instagram usage. YouTube has Family Link, allowing parents to set up supervised accounts, screen time limits, and content restrictions.
In addition to technical solutions, Hamlet suggests initiating a family policy where family members temporarily delete their social media apps. This approach can be framed as an experiment where family members share their feelings and experiences without these apps. The break may lead to reduced anxiety and improved well-being. To further encourage open communication, parents can set an agreed-upon daily app usage limit, with a short daily check-in to discuss the content encountered.
Social media companies are also taking measures to prevent the spread of harmful content. TikTok and Meta have increased resources to combat violent or misleading content. Google-owned YouTube has age-restricted and removed thousands of harmful videos to safeguard younger viewers.
In an era where the line between digital and real-world experiences is blurred, protecting a child’s mental health through these measures becomes increasingly crucial.
