Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Professor Offers Parents Guidance On Teen Friendships, Social Media
A professor says parents should pay attention to what teenagers do on social media.
The amount of time online matters, but the type of content may matter even more.
Some teenagers compare themselves with influencers who show carefully selected parts of their lives.
This can make young people feel worse about themselves.
Other online content may encourage unhealthy eating or self-harm.
Parents should set rules to help children avoid harmful material.
One suggested rule is keeping phones out of bedrooms at night.
This can help teenagers get the sleep they need.
The professor says the content teens encounter online may matter more than the amount of time they spend on social media.
Comparing themselves with curated influencers can negatively affect children and adolescents.
Content promoting unhealthy eating habits or self-harm is described as a harmful side of social media.
Parents are encouraged to set boundaries, even if doing so makes them seem strict.
The professor recommends rules requiring phones to be put away at bedtime to protect adolescents’ sleep.
- Who
- An unnamed professor, parents, children, and adolescents.
- What
- The professor offered guidance on teen social-media use, harmful content, and parental boundaries.
- When
- The timing is not specified.
- Where
- The setting is not specified; the discussion concerns social-media use and phones in the home.
- Why
- To help parents limit exposure to harmful content and protect adolescents’ sleep.
- Main concern
- What adolescents do on social media may be more important than how much time they spend there.
- Potentially harmful content
- Comparisons with curated influencers, unhealthy eating content, and self-harm material.
- Recommended parental role
- Parents should set boundaries around social-media and phone use.
- Sleep concern
- Phones in bedrooms at night can interfere with adolescents’ sleep.
- Suggested rule
- Phones should be put away when it is time to go to sleep.
- Sleep context
- Most adolescents are not meeting the recommended minimum hours of sleep per night, according to the professor.