Social media seems to be a part of many of our daily lives, as always, I've been on the lookout for tips and recommendations I can share with you, our 31st State community. The first is this New York Times article that speaks to the recent advisory released by the US Surgeon General about the impacts on mental health of social media use by teens.
While it's not surprising that 95% of teens are on social media, and many of them use it "almost constantly", we're just beginning to understand how this can make our kids vulnerable during this critical stage of brain development. The article gives helpful insights and actionable tips, mom to mom.Parents should be confident in setting some reasonable limits, but we can all agree how hard that can be.
Experts suggest:
1. Come up with boundaries together.
2. Propose a social media vacation.
3. Hold firm around protecting sleep and other health habits.
Next is The Spiritual Child, a book that my mother-in-law recently gave me, which shines a light on the science behind kids having a personal relationship with a higher power, albeit nature, God or the universe.
Research shows that children who have a positive, active relationship with spirituality are less likely to abuse substances, be depressed as teenagers and have positive markers for high levels of academic success. Absolutely worth the read!