How to Stay Safe on Social Media: Advice for Parents and Teenagers.

This week, social media CEOs were questioned by Senate lawmakers about the dangers of their platforms for children, including exposure to sexual predators and harmful content. Senators from both parties showed agreement during the hearing on the need for laws like the Kids Online Safety Act to protect children online, but it's unclear if this will lead to actual legislation.

While laws are being discussed, there's advice for parents and teens on how to stay safe on social media, like setting limits and having open communication. There's a rule from 2000 called The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act that tries to protect kids under 13 from using social media without parental consent, but kids often sign up anyway.

Online dangers have evolved beyond privacy issues, now including bullying and mental health risks. "Wait Until 8th" pledge encourages parents not to give children smartphones until at least 8th grade to limit early social media exposure, but no official actions have been taken to raise the age limit for social media use.

Experts suggest there's no perfect age for social media use but agree that 13 might be too young, pointing out that laws and social media company policies don't fully prevent underage sign-ups. Simple solutions like banning kids from social media may lead to feelings of isolation and lack of preparedness for responsible use later on.

Parents are encouraged to start conversations about social media early, use documentaries and articles to educate about the business and psychological tactics of platforms, and set examples of healthy screen time use. Meta has implemented parental controls on Instagram to help monitor children’s use, but such features require mutual consent and thus emphasize the importance of dialogue between parents and children about social media use.