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.