Who hasn’t been tempted every once in a while to be a little bit of something they usually aren’t? A little bolder, better, more opinionated or clever than we might appear in our everyday lives? I remember prank phone calls being a typical middle school way to get into a little mischief and “be” someone else.
I also recall hearing that drivers sometimes act more aggressively behind the wheel than they might in person. There’s something about the anonymity of being surrounded by glass and operating a powerful machine that gets a person revved up.
But what about the anonymity, or just the virtual distance, of being online? The internet seems to offer up the perfect forum to enhance or alter yourself a little. In Screenagers, girls talk about how they touch up their Instagram and Facebook photos before they post. Witty retorts in group texts or in social media comments can also earn you positive social media points.
In video games, players often create an avatar, which is their character in the game. You create your avatar’s look and choose your avatar’s accessories, weapons or car, for example.
And texting isn’t usually anonymous, but even when recipients know it’s you, the medium can embolden some people to behave differently than they might in person.
Here’s some food for thought to chew on with the family this week:
· Have you ever texted, emailed or made a social media comment that you would not say in person?
· Have you received texts, emails or online comments that you think wouldn’t have happened if you were face to face?
· Are you a different person in different online settings — more outrageous, more reserved, sillier, more serious, more confident, more attractive?
· What do you think about creating an online persona that’s different from your real-life personality?
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Who hasn’t been tempted every once in a while to be a little bit of something they usually aren’t? A little bolder, better, more opinionated or clever than we might appear in our everyday lives? I remember prank phone calls being a typical middle school way to get into a little mischief and “be” someone else.
I also recall hearing that drivers sometimes act more aggressively behind the wheel than they might in person. There’s something about the anonymity of being surrounded by glass and operating a powerful machine that gets a person revved up.
But what about the anonymity, or just the virtual distance, of being online? The internet seems to offer up the perfect forum to enhance or alter yourself a little. In Screenagers, girls talk about how they touch up their Instagram and Facebook photos before they post. Witty retorts in group texts or in social media comments can also earn you positive social media points.
In video games, players often create an avatar, which is their character in the game. You create your avatar’s look and choose your avatar’s accessories, weapons or car, for example.
And texting isn’t usually anonymous, but even when recipients know it’s you, the medium can embolden some people to behave differently than they might in person.
Here’s some food for thought to chew on with the family this week:
· Have you ever texted, emailed or made a social media comment that you would not say in person?
· Have you received texts, emails or online comments that you think wouldn’t have happened if you were face to face?
· Are you a different person in different online settings — more outrageous, more reserved, sillier, more serious, more confident, more attractive?
· What do you think about creating an online persona that’s different from your real-life personality?
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Many young people are overwhelmed by constant social media use, which can displace important activities like sleep, schoolwork, and friendships. Over 200 school districts are suing platforms like Meta for harms related to social media addiction. The blog covers what problematic social media use is from a clinical perspective and how our kids can talk with a friend (or family member) if they are worried their friend might have some level of problematic use.
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A week ago, Instagram announced changes to its rules for “Teen Accounts.” All new teen users will be defaulted into these accounts, and current teen users will transition over the next two months. Instagram’s head of Products, discussed these changes, and one comment surprised me. She mentioned that teens aged 13 to 16 will need parental permission to have a public account, hoping this would encourage dialogue between teens and parents about social media use. However, I feel this still puts too much responsibility on parents when we need broader societal solutions. I discuss this and the rest of the changes in today's blog.
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We have created a table that compares the 4 most common social media platforms and the specific ways they are similar and different. Spoiler alert, they are way more similar than different. It makes perfect sense since companies see what young people use on other apps and incorporate such features into their own apps.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
