Balancing Act
Social media and your children.
As parents in the age of technology, there’s no doubt that your child will have come across screens of some variety. Whether it be your mobile phone, devices from school or a screen at home, your child will continue to grow up in the ever-increasing technology-reliant society we now live in. With this advance in technology comes social media, its many wonders, and of course its risks. Your child will undoubtedly be exposed to social media as they make their way through school and build new friendships. The current most popular platforms for youngsters are Instagram and TikTok. Kids can use these social media platforms for entertainment, as well as to connect and maintain friendships online. Whilst these platforms are a great outlet for your kids to socialise with friends, they are also a valuable resource for their journey through the talent industry. Social media c-an supplement your child’s talent career, where if they land an opportunity, their work can be showcased and displayed for friends to see. Parent-run pages like @moniquejade_l and @little_miss_eliana on Instagram show how kids can stay age-appropriate and still build thousands of followers. However, many social media platforms don’t allow users under the age of 13 years to access their sites for safety reasons. This restriction is well justified, as it aims to protect young, vulnerable, and inexperienced internet users from potential harm. There are plenty of lovely, genuine, well-meaning people on the internet, but there are also people whose intentions are quite the opposite. It is therefore important for both your child and you, as a parent, to recognise the need for proper management and education around social media use. Your child will need to learn about cyber safety and proper internet behaviour. You can do this together as you build and establish their account, showing them how to navigate the web safely and appropriately. As a parent, if you and your child decide to begin using social media to promote and showcase your child’s work, it is important to establish with your child that you, as the adult, are in charge of running and using the account. Your child should really just be the subject of the account, rather than the user. You should have full control of what content is posted, who follows and views images of your child and engages with the content. You can delete comments, block followers, and maintain a safe online presence for your child’s content. It is also important to remember that your child is still just a kid. If a potential client wants to hire a child for a job, it may be best to maintain your child’s youthful and natural appearance so that the opportunities presented to them are age appropriate and not too mature for them. Keep content fresh, young and vibrant, as opposed to work with heavy makeup and mature poses. They are only kids for so long, you should make the most of it and enjoy it while you can! As you teach your child, you may also learn something new. It is important for your child to learn about social media, as it is a strong facet of the entertainment industry and today’s society. Guide your child, equip them with the necessary knowledge for the future, and most of all, have fun together!
