We know first hand how much influence social media has over our lives. Over the past few weeks the Safe On Social Team has been flooded with messages from concerned parents after watching the new Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma.

Have you seen it?
It’s certainly an eye opener.

For those that haven’t, here’s a quick summary...the documentary interviews several high-profile former employees of the biggest social media companies out there. These are the very men and women who helped build social media as we know it today...and now they have some pretty big fears - and pretty big regrets.

In their own words, "you can’t put the genie back in the bottle."

The documentary is a fascinating and frightening look at how social media is impacting our mental health, manipulating our behaviour and how dependent and intrusive it actually is...and how it’s purposely designed this way.   

While The Social Dilemma can be a shock to watch, it presents an important opportunity for family discussion.

Here are 4 key themes from the documentary to discuss with your kids:

1. Mental health
   Constant social media use can impact a child’s sense of self-worth and identity. We encourage parents to stay on top of what is happening in the news, your child’s school and within their circle of friends to monitor closely situations that may impact their mental health. There are a variety of support tools as well as Q&A support within the Toolkit.
2. Delaying & limiting social media use
   As much as it’s difficult, look to delay younger kids having access to social media for as long as possible (the documentary suggests 16)
3. Model good social behaviour as a parent
   As parents we have to practice what we preach. These apps are designed to hook us in (and they do!) so be mindful of what your own social media/phone habits might be saying to your children. It’s also suggested to turn off notifications and keep devices out of your bedroom to limit usage.
4. Open communication
   Use the film to tap into your child’s interests – what are they really into online and then use that as an opportunity to work through and mitigate the risks together. If age appropriate (the film is rated PG-13) watch the documentary together to see their views and spark ongoing conversation.

The following cheat sheet around Parent Resilience Strategies is useful to further help with these discussions.