Teens and Social Media: How to Handle the Inevitable

Ask meaningful questions that lead to deep discussions.

This involvement will almost certainly lead to more meaningful questions that give you windows of opportunity for guidance. “What do you think, when you see that Jamie has 300 followers and you have 67?” “Do any of your friends just not care whether anyone comments on their posts? Why do you think they are free of the need for that approval?” Casual questions with deep opportunities. Erica could open up a conversation with her daughter by asking: “Do you ever wear an outfit that got voted down just because you liked it best?”

A woman business leader that I know tells the people who work for her, “I can’t grow you unless I know you”—and the same principle applies to you as a parent. You can’t grow your child, and help them avoid the temptations to rely on friends and approval for self-worth, if you know very little about a huge part of their life.