My top 5 tips to help teens cope with the stress of social media

Here are five key tips to protect teens from the stress of social media and screen addiction:

1. Do more: playing sport, having a coffee with friends, walking the dog- it seems obvious but the more meaningful interaction we have with people in the non-virtual world the more nourished and resilient we feel.
2. Talk more: It’s easy to retreat behind a screen than face up the everyday difficulties of life. But if we create a space at home where opinions and doubts can be aired, and accommodations can be reached – we are modelling the core skill of empathy and negotiation to young people.
3. Turn of notifications: this stops the desire to immediately respond which can alleviate the pressure kettle feeling and the need to constantly be connected online.
4. Be an adult: Be aware of what your child is viewing/accessing online. We wouldn’t allow a young person to drive a car without knowing the dangers of the road – yet we allow our children to go online often with the risk that they could stumble upon disturbing or violent content.
5. Impose limits if necessary – ban phones from the meal table and bedroom at night, explain your reasons why e.g. better night sleep, more meaningful interaction. Imposing limits in this way might involve short term conflict and put you in the position of being the bad cop; but in doing so you are modelling the importance of safe boundaries and self-regulation.

Read my full article Technology and Stress at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BCP) website