Iowa

Tracking your kid’s social media can be overwhelming. An Iowa expert has these suggestions

Published

2 years ago

March 12, 2024

Tracking your kid’s social media can be overwhelming. An Iowa expert has these suggestions

In this day in age, the majority of people are on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or YouTube — even if they might not be adults yet. Attempting to manage a child’s use of whatever other app is trending can be overwhelming for parents, so much so that the majority of Iowans support state legislation that would limit children’s access to social media.

A proposed bill intended to create more oversight on children’s internet use for parents and guardians passed the Iowa House on March 6. House File 2523 bans anyone under 18 years old from making an account on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok without permission from a guardian or parent.

It also allows the Iowa attorney general and users to sue social media companies for violating parent authorization rules.

🔎 What are kids seeing on social media?

A recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found that more than half of Iowans favor the bill, with 42% of Iowans opposed to it.

Here are some tips for parents on how to manage kids’ time on the internet.

Is government oversight for children’s use of social media effective?

It can be. State involvement to limit minors’ access to social media is an effective tool to improve internet oversight for children, said Rachel Young associate professor at the University of Iowa School. The implementation of laws that protect children online in other countries has proven effective, Young said.

“Parents have been given this really pretty impossible task of managing digital media,” Young said, who studies how adolescents and parents manage digital media use. “So it makes a lot of sense to me why we’re seeing a call from parents for help from legislation that would more effectively keep younger kids off social media.”

What are the dangers of social media for children?

Social media companies use algorithms to determine what people want to see based on searches and likes. This can become dangerous for people and children if something like self-harm is searched.

“If a kid shows some interest in a video talking about self-harm, the TikTok algorithm, or whatever social media platform, will very quickly notice that,” Young said. “Then you might get a lot of content about self-harm. So you are very quickly in a media environment where you are surrounded by those types of messages.”

What makes monitoring child social media use so difficult?

The sheer volume of content children now have access to on social media makes it hard for parents to monitor. Not everything on the internet is bad either, which makes it hard for parents to decipher limits, Young said.

“It is hard to distinguish between the uses that we want to allow and the uses that we don’t,” Young said.

What is the best way to monitor social media use for children?

Talking to children about social media at an early age can help establish boundaries, Young said. The most effective strategy to limiting social media is when kids have a model for having conversations with parents about what they see online. Research shows parents have an easier time setting effective limits if there has been conversations about social media in advance, Young said.

“If you already have the type of relationship where kids feel open to discussing what they have encountered online, then that will help in setting rules and limits that a kid is more likely to understand,” Young said. “Hopefully those limits will be more effective.”

How effective are limits created by social media companies?

Most social media apps have age restrictions when making an account. To access Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, users must be at least 13 years old. But as we all know, it only takes some simple math for kids to adjust their age to meet the age requirement.

“Kids have a lot of motivation to use social media because it’s where everyone they know is already using it for important conversations,” Young said. “So it is not difficult at all for kids to get around age limits set by any social media platform.”

What tools are there to set limits on social media?

Some smartphones allow parents to set time limits on a child’s phone or how long they are on a certain app. This can be an effective step for improving internet oversight for children.

“If your phone is connected to your child’s phone in a family group, then you can have oversight over a lot of how that phone is being used,” Young said.

Limits can help, but Young believes they should be accompanied by a conversation.

“Kids are really good at finding out ways to get around any limits that parents might set, and they are often very knowledgeable about technology,” Young said. “If those limits are set in a way that involves the kids and an understanding of why they are important, they might not like it but that would lead to a better outcome than a limit that is set like a my way or the highway limit.”

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

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Iowa

Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer

Published

11 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer

Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.

Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.

Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.

The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.

Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.

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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor

Published

23 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor

Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.

Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.

Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.

He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.

“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”

Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.

Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.

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Iowa

Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

Published

1 week ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December.

Drew Anderson (Riverside)

The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23.

Urijah Courter (West Marshall)

Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout.

Cooper Hinz (Jesup)

Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period.

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)

Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.

Mason Koehler (Glenwood)

The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season.

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)

Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit.

Keaton Moeller (Starmont)

Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season.

Iowa High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.

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