Social Media and Teenage Boys
If you are interested in learning about what your teenage boy is using social media for and how you can help him use it wisely, this is the post for you.
Did you know that social media is literally everywhere that we turn? And it now affects all ages, at all times of the day? What used to be a luxury has now become the norm in all of our everyday lives.
Social media has a huge impact on young people today and how they see the world. (not to mention communicate with it) Teenage boys are on social media a great deal, even if they tend to do different things than girls do when they are on it.
While girls are used to taking selfies and having it more as a social platform, boys are using it more and more for those types of reasons as well.
How Social Media Influences Teenage Boys
First and foremost, I think we can all agree that social media affects everyone, regardless of sex and age. But for the most part, social media has a huge influence on children and teens. It makes sense, too. Social media is fun and offers a simple outlet and distraction to the everyday world. It allows teen boys to bond, communicate and explore online without having to do so in front of real people.
Teenage boys love social media so much, you might notice that they’re on it all the time. They talk about it, recite memes and quotes and are always googling and looking up anything and everything.
It’s even gotten to a point where social media is persuading thoughts and actions as well.
What Teenage Boys are using Social Media for
Have you ever wondered what your teenage boy is actually doing on social media? A lot of it’s similar to what the girls are doing, but he’s also sending jokes to friends, looking up the latest memes, checking out things that he’s interested in online and just finding a way to pass the time when he’s bored.
You might also notice that he likes to update his status a lot and share about what he’s always doing or where he’s going to be.
Let’s not also forget about one of the biggest online draws for boys – online gaming. This just might be the biggest social media platform that your son spends his time on.
Teen boys tend to like online games because it allows them to be competitive without having to really put themselves out there. In fact, anyone can remain anonymous and game super easily.
Social media also gives teen boys the courage to talk to girls that they normally wouldn’t. It’s easy to send a PM or message online rather than talking to someone face to face.
How to Prepare Your Son to Use Social Media Responsibly
Every household is going to have a different rule in regards to social media use. Regardless of what your rules are, the biggest rule that you need to teach first is internet safety.
Social media requires responsibility and smartness that all kids and adults need to be aware of and practice daily. Teaching your teen that the online world is a dangerous place is 100% true and needs to happen.
Set limits on his screen time and ask for his passwords. This doesn’t mean that you’re going to log in and read every conversation daily, but if you wanted to, you could.
This also alerts your teen to the fact that you’re willing and able to check which in turn will help keep himself in line as well.
Let your teen know that if he’s scared or worried about something online that he needs to come and talk to you. The open communication in regards to social media is extremely important.
Social media is a huge part of the life of modern teenage boys, and will likely continue to be for quite some time. Taking the time to learn about your teen and his social media use will provide you with a better parenting style and presence as well. You and your teen son can work together to make certain that he’s safe and smart about using social media and the internet.
Related Articles:
- Talking to Tweens and Teens About Social Media Use
- How to Monitor Screen Time For Children and Teens
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