Today I’m sharing some of the biggest red flags for teenagers’ social media accounts. Social media is inescapable. If you haven’t already received a request from your teenager. It probably won’t be too long before your they start asking you for access to popular platforms. Social media can, of course, be used for good and many amazing, heartwarming things. But many things have been made possible because of the power social media presents.
However, there is also a darker side to social media and it cannot be ignored. Social media has been heavily linked to a decrease in self-esteem among teenagers. As well as many other mental health issues that teenagers can experience.
Unfortunately for parents and teenagers, social media can provide an almost consequence-free method of cyberbullying. This is thanks to the many ‘secret’ features that social media platforms build into their apps. It is these add-ons that enable teenagers to stay undetected when participating in inappropriate behaviour. For parents, the use of social media can be a big worry. And activating Snapchat parental controls alone isn’t enough. That’s why we’ve put together this guide on the most important 3 red flags for you to watch out for on your teenager’s social media accounts.
1. Cyberbullying Is A Very Real Phenomenon
When it comes to the 3 most important red flags to look out for on your teenager’s social media accounts. Cyberbullying has to be at the top of the list. It has been shown that manipulating other teenagers, especially females into taking inappropriate pictures and videos. Unfortunately, then sharing this private media with other teenagers is a popular form of cyberbullying on today’s social media platforms.
Cyberbullying is a big problem & can be one of the red flags for teenagers on social media. This behaviour can cause serious mental health challenges for those teenagers involved. Other platform users with access to the images and videos are free to anonymously critique these teenagers’ bodies and personalities without any fear of consequence.
Soon, sexual slurs, inappropriate propositions, and character assassinations follow this chain of non-consensual sharing. As soon as these images are out there, many teenagers have explained that bullying doesn’t always remain exclusive to social media. Criticism and bullying can follow teenagers into schools and colleges, creating a very unpleasant experience.
Anonymous Cyberbullying On Teenagers’ Social Media Accounts
It isn’t only inappropriate content sharing that leads to cyberbullying; many social media platforms allow users to operate completely anonymously. Anonymity plays a huge role in cyberbullying on social media. Due to the ease at which teenagers can leave cruel and hurtful comments without any repercussions or consequences. It’s extremely easy for teenagers to fall victim to cyberbullying. Even if they haven’t previously experienced any kind of bullying or negative behaviour at school or college.
If you’ve started to notice your teenager becoming anxious or withdrawn when they are talking about attending school or college. It may be worth taking a look at their social media activity. Something may be going on behind the scenes that you don’t know about. Therefore it’s a good idea to check for apps that allow anonymous commenting. And be sure to have open communication channels with your teen.
2. Teens Can Hide Their Online Activity from Parents
You may have decided to let your teenager use social media on the condition that you get to follow them. Although at first, this may seem like a clever way to keep track of what your teenagers are up to, with many popular social media platforms, this simply isn’t enough.
Hidden photo albums/backup accounts can be red flags for teenagers’ social media. Both Instagram and Snapchat have Private Story features that enable users to pick and choose their audience. This means that it’s exceptionally easy for teenagers to create Private Stories that only a select few users have access to, ensuring that only the people they want to see their content can access it. This is bad news for parents of teenagers, as the parental account is likely to be excluded from the story.
Snapchat also features the popular “My Eyes Only” camera roll. This requires the user to enter a PIN code to access the images and videos that are stored here. Without the pin code, there’s no other way to access these images and they’re not stored anywhere else on your teenager’s phone.
Before allowing your teenager to create accounts on social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, make sure to do your research and learn about any hidden features, including private stories and camera rolls. It’s very easy for teenagers to hide images, videos, and conversations between themselves and other users they’re not supposed to have contact with – including other teenagers or possible groomers.
3. Inappropriate Content Such as Grooming On Teenagers’ Social Media Accounts
As parents, we want to shield our children from as much inappropriate content as possible. This doesn’t necessarily mean risque images and videos, but the full spectrum of influential online content that can easily be accessed by teens. Once again we can thank social media’s anonymity features for granting teenagers access to auto-deleting messages and images, therefore making it a piece of cake to share inappropriate images, hook up with strangers, and even purchase illegal substances.
Unfortunately, teens can be groomed online, so look out for can be red flags for teenagers’ social media use. But nudes, screenshots, and sexts can all be hidden from the prying eyes of parents in hidden camera rolls, but the danger lies with who this content is being shared. It takes 2 seconds to take a screenshot of something and share it with others, even if it is an auto-deleting image. Once the content is out there on the internet, it’s extremely hard to get rid of and you lose control of who has access to it. This wasn’t something my parents taught me, as it wasn’t a thing in the 90s, but it’s essential knowledge for teens nowadays.
Use content filters and set up filters with your internet providers. This can help protect your teenagers from accessing inappropriate content online. However, when it comes to this type of subject, the best way to teach teenagers about the dangers is to provide an open communication channel and discuss topics in a relatable manner.
We Were All Teenagers Once!
Lastly, we were all teenagers once! Ensuring that your teen feels they can come to you for advice is one of the best ways to help prevent red flags from popping up on your teenager’s social media account. You can think back to what helped you to stay safe as a teenager, too.
This guest post was provided by Tina.