Research shows a positive correlation between the time children spend on social media and the chance of being cyberbullied – but a massive 66% of parents are not monitoring their childrens’ social media activity.
Statistics acquired by Atlas VPN on parental control over media consumption show that only 34% of parents limit the time children spend on social media.
Meanwhile, scientists at BMC Public Health found that using social media for longer than two hours per day increases the risk of cyberbullying.
“Likes” for children act as pooling data of how much other people like them. This leads kids to reduce their identity to an idealised image of themselves. Constant personal comparison to lives and pictures of peers damages self-esteem and body image.
The US Department of Guidance and Psychological Counseling shows that kids spending 8,5 hours on screen per day end up cyberbullied, feeling lonely or angry.
Rachel Welsh, chief operating officer of Atlas VPN, comments: “Being a helicopter parent is not a good idea, but leading your child towards a safer internet usage is a must. There are many browser add-ons that can be used to block or limit time on certain websites.
“Moreover, parents should consider limiting screen time to two hours per day.”