Defining Social Media:

Social media is a combined expression used for websites and apps to communicate with people beyond societies and cultures. They are also used for sharing content online and collaborations of different communities. It is a means for staying in touch with friends and family, and businesses can use it as a tool for marketing, advertising, brand perception, and consumer tracking purposes.

Parental control app today help to monitor kids using Social media. Among Social media networks, websites have launched their applications to make the platforms easily accessible to people.

Kinds Of Social Media:

Social media can be categorized in four ways.

1. Social networks
2. Media-sharing networks
3. Community networks
4. Review networks

Let’s discuss them briefly.

• Social Networks:

Social networks are places where people join and share their thoughts and information. They are typically user-focused groups, and people interact with each other based on likeness regarding their common interests. Use the authentic app to monitor kids online.

• Media-sharing networks:

These are content-focused networks. People can share videos and images on those platforms. People use these networks to express their art, ideas, and creativity.

• Community Networks:

Just like a blog forum, community networks are used for discussions. The users initiate in-depth talks, and people express themselves in the comments sections. As a result, people create different communities, and specific topics can be chewed over.

• Review Networks:

These networks are generally used to enhance business capabilities through user experiences. These networks focus on the rating and reviews certain products, services, or places given by people based on their experiences. Such networks boost visibility and foster businesses.

Some Examples Of Social Media:

Countless social media networks are running around the world. However, a parental monitoring app helps to monitor kids online. Social media examples are following.

Facebook: A trendy social networking site among every age of people has roughly 2.89 billion users actively using this platform, and it is considered the biggest social media platform worldwide. People create personalized profiles and upload their pictures, videos to share them with whoever they like.

YouTube: It is a media-sharing network where users share their videos, either pre-recorded or live to stream. This platform has more than 2 billion active users, and they upload the content regularly. Parental control app can let you know what your child is uploading online.

Reddit:  It is an example of a community network designed to spread news, and forums are created to spread the information by users. Within Reddit, there are hundreds of subreddits. These are small communities created under the giant flag, and each category is related to a specific topic like movies, politics, nature, technology, etc.

Yelp: It is a review board network that gives the space for its users to write reviews about the restaurants or any product based on what they have experienced. Companies benefit from getting endorsements from people and creating customer-centric strategies.

Instagram: Another very famous social media app is Instagram. It has roughly 1 billion active users, and it is widely used for sharing pictures and short videos. It has 157 million users in the US alone. The best app to monitor kids is hard to choose, but it may benefit you in monitoring Instagram conversations and knowing the images your child is uploading on Instagram.

Negative Effects On Kids Under 10:

Doctors are warning parents about the effects of gadgets on toddlers, and it is problematic for the parents. Exposure to technology at such an early age can cause ripple effects on their personalities and development. However, preschoolers are grasping social and intellectual skills at a surprising pace, and we don’t want social media to be a hurdle in that process. In a poll conducted by Mott, one-third of children between the ages of 7-9 and half of the children between the ages of 10-12 use social media apps. You can find top parental control apps in 2022 online to track the time spent on social media.

• Glued to the Screens: With increased time on social media apps, parents feel that their child is spending hours upon hours glued to the screens of their iPads or phones.

• Online Safety: Parents are reluctant to give social media access to their kids as they fear their safety is at risk.

• Age Appropriate Content: Kids under 10 can unintentionally access inappropriate content online, which can have a prolonged effect on their memory.

Negative Effects On Teens:

Social media can be a ruthless place for teenagers. Experts believe that social media and text messaging have integrated into teens’ lives, that they have started to develop some troubling issues. Parental monitoring app can assist parents in keeping an eye on their kids’ behavior online.

• Anxiety and Depression: Many teenagers have complained that they have developed feelings of loneliness, and they feel horrible about themselves since they have been using Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.

• The Decline at Studies: Teenagers use social media from morning till bedtime and sometimes way past that time. They skip the house chores and homework as social media keeps them hooked to their screens.

• Unhealthy Competition: Perfect body images and lifestyles on social media create the mirage of an unachievable ideal life. It drives the emotions of envy and jealousy, which is harmful in all ways to the teenager.

 5 Effective Tips to Safeguard Kids on Social Media:

• Open Communication:

A significant portion of children’s life is spent socializing online. Parents can either work around it or stand against it. Parents need to keep the line of discussions open between them. Communicate with them about the social responsibilities and limitations. Conversations create the opportunity to tell them what you expect from them and set forth the guidance and supervision. Reinforce them not to use their personal information online and share your personal experiences with them.

• Education on Social Media Risks:

Kids may know more about the latest social media trends than you, but they sure don’t know much about the dangers linked to social media. Educate your child about the risks involving child grooming, malware, scams, identity theft, etc., and tell them how to keep their personal lives off the grid. Parental control app can aid in avoiding such risks.

• Guidelines and Ground Rules:

Many social media platforms require a specific age requirement to sign up. Parents need to make sure their child is not using any app or venue that is not appropriate to their age. Supervise your child when they are signing up for any new account. Every family has its own set of rules in the house; ensure your child follows these rules.

• Set Up To Date Child’s Privacy:

Parents can set the profiles to private when their kids are setting up the accounts on social media; by doing so, personal information and passwords can be set off the grid. The location of kids is also something that concerns parents; disabling it eliminates that. Parents need to enable parental controls to keep their kids away from explicit content. Please select the best app to monitor kids when it comes to their privacy.

• Install a Parental Monitoring App:

Parents can browse through top monitoring  apps in 2022 and find the perfect parental monitoring app according to their needs. TheWiSpy.com is an example. Your kids may feel that you are interfering in their life by installing such apps but give them reasons for their importance and need.

Takeaways:

You can find people using social media everywhere beyond age limits. We cannot deprive our kids of being socially active online, but on the other hand, it is critically important to keep our kids safe from the harms of any platform. Guide kids about the rules and importance of their privacy. Also, an excellent parental monitoring app can give a chance to parents to make effective strategies.