In this era of AI, teens scrolling on social media encounter images of celebrities and influencers that simply couldn’t exist in real life. The Surgeon General issued an alarming report that 95 percent of teens age 13-17 say they use at least one social media platform, and nearly 33 percent reported almost constant use of these sites.

These statistics prompted the Surgeon General to issue a warning about social media use and youth mental health, cautioning that it can cause and perpetuate body image issues, negatively affect eating behaviors, impair sleep quality and promote social comparisons that lead to low self-esteem, especially among teen girls. In addition, the report found that teens who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

Although social comparison is a natural part of adolescent development, social media encourages constant comparison with unrealistic and unattainable images. Given that this technology is here to stay — and its attraction for teens — families are often looking for resources and information on how to support young people as they navigate the online world.

A good place to start is by showing interest in what your teen is doing online, making decisions together and helping teens to think critically about the information they are encountering. Parents/guardians can ask questions such as “What are your favorite accounts right now?” and “What do you like about these accounts?” Including your teen in decision making can enhance their sense of agency. This can include conversations about how to set time limits and balance screen time with other healthy activities including exercise, connecting with friends and creating safe zones for sleep.

Parents are in a great position to model healthy social media use to children. Research has shown that helping children develop social media literacy skills before using these sites maximizes the chances for balanced, safe, and meaningful social
media use.

Finally, encourage critical thinking and a healthy dose of skepticism toward online content. Helping kids recognize that some content on social media is fake and needs to be fact-checked can build their skills at critical thinking. This can create a safe context to discuss how unrealistic images of celebrities and influencers can negatively impact self-confidence and body image. Talking about your values can help children and teens select media that supports self-esteem and confidence.

Ask questions such as:

• What are you confident about? What do you like about yourself?
• What can people do to protect and grow their self-confidence?
• How can friends, family and community members help others to be self confident?

Focusing on a positive self-conception and building critical thinking helps to boost self-esteem and can provide some protection when youth are using social media sites. These important skills will be useful to children throughout their lives as they grow and develop.

Outreach is here to support families as they navigate challenging issues facing our teens. Outreach offers the STEP Teen (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) program, parent consultations, a body positive group and other resources toguide and assist families on the journey of raising healthy and well-balanced kids. Check out Outreach’s website for dates and more information.

This column is partially underwritten by the Mt. Lebanon Police Association.