A psychiatrist discusses how social media can negatively impact teenagers and what parents can do to help.
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CLEVELAND – It seems like everyone is on social media these days, but for teenagers especially, it can quickly become addicting.
“Social media is designed at its core to be addicting. These billion dollar companies that run these apps and develop them, actually employ psychologist and people that their whole job is to keep us engaged,” said Joseph Austerman, DO, psychiatrist for Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
Dr. Austerman said social media can have both positive and negative impacts on teenagers.
For example, on the positive side, it allows them to connect with other like-minded individuals from anywhere in the world. But, on the negative side, it can take away from real person interactions, which can play a role in emotional and social development.
So, what advice does he have for parents? He recommends limiting their daily social media use and monitoring which websites and apps they have access to.
You can also set rules, like having their homework done first or not being on phone right before bed.
“Kids watch what we do and it’s really hard to tell a kid to be off TikTok or Snapchat when you’re sitting on your phone looking and scrolling through Facebook or some of the other apps that adults commonly use. And so you have to model good behavior as well,” he advised.
Dr. Austerman said if social media is disrupting your teenager’s life. For example, they’re becoming more withdrawn or are ignoring other responsibilities, then it may be time to take to a healthcare professional
