Did You Know? Helpful tips for getting back into school mode - phones, routines, social media

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Did You Know is a monthly Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK) column that covers many topics during the school year. They are kicking off a second year of monthly Did You Know columns. TASK is a non-profit whose mission is to prevent and reduce youth substance abuse and related harm - Keeping kids safe in collaboration with community partners.

It’s September! The time of year when kids go back to school, families get back to routines and the warm weather begins to cool. For many, this is a lot of change.

DID YOU KNOW there are different ways to support your kid during this important time of the year? Kids of all ages are excited, nervous, and anxious for the school year.

DID YOU KNOW we can all help our kids with a few simple and consistent actions as they transition from Summer to the School Year? Actions like routines, phone and social media guidelines, and listening and acknowledging their feelings all make an impact.

CREATE A BACK-TO-SCHOOL ROUTINE- Here are a few simple ones to start with:
1. Use a calendar to keep track of important dates and deadlines.
2. Create a morning routine schedule.
3. Establish zones in your home for different activities.
4. Take time to meal plan.
5. Set consistent bedtime and wake-up times.
6. Prep things the night before.

DID YOU KNOW setting electronic guidelines helps kids' mental health? CREATING SCREEN TIME RULES & LIMITS (Including social media, phone time & apps).

DID YOU KNOW adolescents ages 10 to 19, are undergoing a highly sensitive period of brain development. This is a period when risk-taking behaviors reach their peak, when well-being experiences the greatest fluctuations, and when mental health challenges such as depression typically emerge. It is when kids are forming their identities and a sense of self-worth. Brain development is especially susceptible to social pressures, peer opinions, and peer comparison. Frequent social media use can affect this. This can happen in the amygdala important for emotional learning and behavior) and the prefrontal cortex (important for impulse control, emotional regulation, and moderating social behavior) and could increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments. As such, adolescents may experience heightened emotional sensitivities to the communicative and interactive nature of social media. This information is from the 2023 Social Media and Youth Mental Health U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory

DID YOU KNOW up to 95 percent of youth ages 13-17 report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly” and nearly 40 percent of children ages 8-12 use social media. From the 2023 Social Media and Youth Mental Health U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory

DID YOU KNOW that young adults who received their first phone or tablet at a later age during childhood experience better mental well-being in adulthood? Notably, their Social Self, which includes elements like self-confidence and positive relationships, shows the most improvement. From the Global Mind Project, Sapien Labs May 2023

SO HOW CAN PARENTS & GUARDIANS HELP?

START with some easy recommendations from the American Psychological Association from the Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence:

1. Social media use should be tailored to youth’s developmental capabilities; designs created for adults may not be appropriate for children.
- Specific features like the “like” button, endless scrolling, and notices and alerts can have negative effects.
- Adolescents should be informed and discuss with a parent or guardian about how their behaviors on social media may yield data that can be used, stored, or shared with others.

2. For 10-14 year olds, adult monitoring is advised for social media use. (i.e. ongoing review of their interactions and sites visited, discussion and coaching around social media content).
- Preliminary research suggests that a combination of social media limits and boundaries along with adult-child discussion and coaching around social media use leads to the best outcomes for youth.

3. Autonomy may increase gradually as kids age if they gain digital literacy skills. Things to help build their digital literacy skills:
- Discuss appropriate behaviors online.
- Discuss with youth when it's appropriate and how to comment or make their own posts and what those look like.
- Talk to youth about their online presence and the idea of only posting or commenting using words that they would say to someone face to face.
- Make sure to discuss posting pictures they would feel good seeing on the cover of the newspaper or magazine.

DEVICES FOR KIDS

If you have a pre-teen or teen they have probably asked you (ok begged and pleaded) for a phone. Here are some of the recommended starter phones that allow parents to communicate with their kids and provide age-appropriate access to help them feel some independence:

The Gabb phone is a great first phone. It allows for basic phone calls and texting along with what they call essential apps like a calendar, calculator, clock, alarm, camera, video, FM radio, and file manager. The Gabb Phone does NOT have an internet browser or public-facing App Store, Gabb Phones allow for parent-approved and managed access to select safe 3rd party apps. See "A Parents Guide" by Gabb.

The Light phone is another great first phone with only phone calling and texting along with even fewer features like a calendar, alarm, directions, and notes. There is NO internet access or browser access on this phone. It also does not have a camera. See "The Light Phone."

The Bark phone is another option. Like the two approve it was created for kids. It does have the capacity and access to the internet and social media and has a parental control system to monitor them along with monitors to alert a parent's phone around certain access and content. See Bark's "Parental Controls for Families."

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