Be Aware of the Social Media Activity of Children of Divorce

 Posted on October 01, 2019 in Children and Divorce

Children of divorce are often unsure of who to talk to about their feelings because their most natural outlet – their parents – is at the source of their pain. Social media is an easy alternative for them, where they can express themselves and connect with friends. Divorced parents may believe that there is no harm in letting their children withdraw into their mobile devices. After all, parents know where the children are. However, children can still get themselves into trouble on social media and are more prone to making poor decisions when experiencing a traumatic event, such as their parents' divorce.

Potential Problems

Children often fail to understand that what they say and do on social media can have real-life consequences. Posting offensive or inappropriate content reflects poorly on them now and leaves a record that could hurt them in the future, such as when they apply to a college. Sharing too much about themselves makes them appear vulnerable to people who try to exploit confused children and teenagers, such as:

• Sexual predators;
• Online scammers;
• Cyberbullies; and
• People trying to indoctrinate others into an extreme belief system.

Solutions

As a divorced parent, you must protect your children from unhealthy online behavior while also respecting their need for social connections and independence. Prohibiting them from having social media accounts is difficult to enforce and will make them rebellious. Installing parental controls feels demeaning to older children and should be done only if the child has demonstrated that they cannot be responsible on their own. There are more effective ways to protect your children:

• The most important thing you can do is talk to your children about potential threats on social media and consequences for what they post;
• Tell your children to set their social media accounts to private so they can control who sees what they post;
• Ask your children if you can be their friend or follower on social media but do not inject yourself into their online conversations or post something that might embarrass them; and
• Create reasonable times during which your children are supposed to put down their devices, such as meals or when you are doing family activities.

Contact a Kane County Divorce Attorney

Though your children may not understand, their well-being is one of the most important parts of your divorce. The allocation of parental responsibilities will play a huge role in how effective you will be as a parent. A St. Charles, Illinois, divorce lawyer at Goostree Law Group can help you negotiate a parenting plan that will allow you to be an active part of protecting your children. Schedule a free consultation by calling 630-584-4800.

Source:

https://www.2houses.com/en/blog/guiding-children-on-social-media