Teen access to social media is one of the most highly debated topics when it comes to parenting.
I am a firm believer that the more you forbid your child from doing something, the more it makes them want it. Growing up I had a close friend with strict parents. That led to her sneaking around behind their backs doing what she wanted, making bad decisions as a teen.
So I knew I never wanted to be that type of parent. My rule with my teens is that they can be on Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat or whatever, as long as I am on their friend list. I can check their account at any time.
This leads to my 40-year-old self not knowing what I’m doing on SnapChat other than taking photos with silly filters.
The other day someone added me as a friend. It said he added me after someone else tagged me in their snap. I added them back, figuring it was one of my daughter’s friends.
A couple hours later the man started messaging me. Imagine my shock of horror when I opened them to see something I’d never imagined I’d be looking at — something very private, if you catch my drift.
I immediately blocked the account without opening any more of the messages and reported it to SnapChat.
What if that had been sent to my girls? What would they have done?
I’m not going to lie, that gave me pause about their access to the app. Luckily SnapChat recently released a family center to allow parents more control over what their teen can access. I’m definitely working on getting that all set up.
It definitely opened my eyes to what is out there on the internet, especially SnapChat, a popular app amongst teens because messages disappear after they’re viewed.
SnapChat posts transparency reports every six months to provide insights to their safety efforts.
The most recent report includes data from July 1 through December 31, 2024. During that period, in response to in-app reports of violations of community guidelines, Snap’s safety teams took a total of 6,346,508 enforcement actions globally, including enforcements against 4,075,838 unique accounts.
At the top of the list? Sexual content posts accounted for 5.2 million, while child sexual exploitation posts was almost 1.2 million.
In the Texas Legislature’s last session, a bill that proposed to ban minors from social media failed. Texas is one of 10 states that have passed laws restricting children’s access to social media.
House Bill 18 was signed into law in 2023. Known as Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act, the bill requires minors to be provided with certain data protections while using social media sites and give parents tools to manage their child’s use of the service.
According to a study by the U.S. Surgeon General, almost 40% of children ages 8-12 use social media, despite a minimum age of 13 being required on most to sign up.
So it seems despite any legislation regarding social media use with teens, they will find a way around it. Just like my friend with strict parents.
What’s the solution? Open, frank discussions with your teens about social media, its dangers and safety protocols. Make a plan with them on how they will handle inappropriate messages like the ones I received. Install parental monitoring apps such as Bark, FamiSafe or others.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Be prepared and have a plan.