Safe social media for primary aged children

• Social media is increasingly part of most children’s lives.
• It includes the use of websites and apps that allow your child to create and share content with others as part of a social network.
• It can help children feel connected to others and less alone, and enhance communications with family and friends.
• It’s a useful source of information, entertainment and a place for voices to be heard.
• It can enhance emotional wellbeing when children know how to use it safely.
• Social media influences what people think, including your child.

• Although social media is a useful platform to learn new information and share opinions, it can also distort reality, and this can affect how children understand the world.
• It’s a place where children can be upset or hurt by others, or be at risk of harm.
• Children can be exposed to things that are unkind or that they’re not old enough to deal with. Without parental guidance and supervision, it may make them vulnerable to supporting discrimination and hateful behaviour or make them anxious about the world.
• Social media can leave children with low self-esteem, and it can even lead to eating disorders or suicidal thoughts.

• Most social media sites are aged restricted. This is to keep your child safe. Don’t allow your child to sign up before they are old enough, and even when they are, think about how ready they are for this.
• Check their privacy settings on electronic devices to make sure that they are protected and do this regularly as sometimes these are reset automatically. Sometimes even privacy settings will still show a photo and name so check this too. If you don’t know how to, ask the Designated Safeguarding Lead in your school for help.
• Weak privacy settings may make it possible for someone they don’t know, or not trustworthy, to contact them.
• Having an account hacked is very distressing so make sure your child doesn’t let other people know what their passwords are.
• Check your child’s social media use regularly so you know what they’re doing. Be alert to cyber-bullying, trolling, illegal activities and negative or unreliable material that can affect their mood. Cyber-bullying can include sexting, sharing embarrassing images, creating fake profiles or mocking.

• Teach them to only share information with people that they know in person and to tell an adult if they are pressurised into sharing information, images or to meet someone.
• Help them to understand that anything that they share may be passed on to people they don’t know. It can be a difficult concept for children to understand. Explain: ‘Things live forever on the internet’ and ‘Don't post things you don't want your grandma or future boss to see’.
• Remind them that people online may not be who they say they are. Ask them about ‘friends’ they make online: ‘How do you know they are who they say?’. Explain that some people pretend to make friends, but are not really the age they say they are, but older. It’s best to stay with friends they know in real life.

• Social media can create feelings of envy and feeling like they are missing out. If your child or young person is feeling low this could relate to their use of social media.

• Social media can lead children to compare themselves with others and this can make them feel bad about themselves.

• Some children and young people might compare their body-image to others on social media and posting can pre-occupy them. Talk to your child about this to help keep a healthy perspective.

• Encourage them to have a few closer friends that they can talk to about things that are important to them, instead of messaging on social media.
• Talk to your child about how social media interactions are different to communicating directly with someone who’s stood in front of them, literally. For example, someone is less likely to say something mean or make a threat out loud and directly to a person.

• Put time limits on the use of social media and how many sites you child signs up to. Some apps have tools to help you set limits on use and some internet service providers can also limit access to social media.
• Turn off notifications to help your child manage anxiety around responding to posts or checking updates. It will help them not to be dependent on social media feedback.
• Make sure that they turn off their device at least one hour before they go to bed. This gives their minds time to recover from the stimulation of the screen and addictive nature of the media. It will help them to unwind and think about what they have been seeing.
• Have conversations with them so that they can learn about what makes them feel good and what leaves them feeling that they are comparing themselves with others. Encourage them to leave sites that aren’t helpful.

Internet Matters provides advice about online safety for children aged 6 to 10 years old.