11 Fun & Safe Ideas To Give Your Child A Social Media Presence
byAutumn Jones
I'll be honest, I love social media. Whether it's keeping up with friends, finding inspiring articles, or scrolling through beautiful pictures, most of my times spent on social media sites makes my heart happy. And my kids notice. They ask to take a peek at what made me giggle and beg me to post pictures of them to see how many likes that picture will fetch. But when they started asking for accounts of their own, I almost fell off of my chair. I hadn't taken time to consider any ideas to give a child a social media presence, and defaulted to the you're too young rule.
It's not that I don't want my kids to be active in social media with their friends, it's that I hadn't thought through exactly what that situation would look like. I knew I would throw down some basic rules, but beyond me being one of their followers and making sure we had secure privacy settings, I wasn't sure what else I needed to include in my expecations. It would be nice to find a balance between my children being able to enjoy themselves online and my need to feel like they are being smart and protected.
These 11 fun and safe ideas to give your child a social media presence cover the bases of safety while suggesting a few ideas for kids to engage in social media with alternatives to their own account. Having a plan and open conversation with your kids is the perfect place to start before you ever create a profile.