Why is it necessary for parents to monitor their teenagers’ activities online?

Meta has introduced a new feature to facilitate the control that parents can exercise over Instagram profiles of their minor children. It’s called “Family Center” and it’s a dedicated section that you can access from the privacy settings of your account.

From here adults can find out what their children are doing when they are online on the platform, make a “selection upon entry” of followers, deciding which accounts children cannot follow and vice versa. A particular emphasis of this new approach is on usage timeparents can set a maximum time during which children can remain on the platform and mandatory breaks, to prevent your eyes from remaining glued to the screen for too long.

Account supervision is designed for kids aged between 13 and 17 years old, and must be approved by them too, before parents have free access to their content. The “control” exercised by mothers and fathers expires when the child reaches the age of majority, the year according to which the teenager can make independent use of the network for the platform.

We asked pediatrician Osama Al Jamal, member of the FIMP national secretariat and representative of the “Digital education” project if it is a good idea for today’s parents to monitor their children when they are online, if they are really capable of doing so and if controlling them translates into relieve them of responsibility or demonstrate that don’t trust them.

Osama Al Jamal (pediatrician and member of the FIMP national secretariat. Contact person for the digital education project)

Is the intrusion of adults into teenagers’ social media the solution to protect them from the dangers of the internet?

I believe it is a necessary measure, not only for Instagram, but for the network in general. I tell you that for the past 4 years we have been conducting, through questionnaires, a study on the digital health of adolescents and we have so far collected the opinions of more than 3000 adolescents and still very few activate parental control, which in my opinion it is a very valid tool. However, parental control is not the only necessary tool, it is very important to limit it too screen timethat is, the time that minors spend in front of screens, because there is a strong problem of addiction.

This new Instagram function, in fact, places great emphasis on the time of use of the platform. How important is it to control kids’ time online?

Very important, because there is a strong addiction problem, which increased after the pandemic, a period in which children abused digital devices. From dependence on social media, according to our investigation, a series of consequences arise on the psycho-social aspect of the boy, for example sleep disordersrelationship problems, and obesity as a direct result of a sedentary life spent in front of screens.

How Much Time Should Teens Spend Online?

The time kids should spend in front of screens for entertainment should not exceed one hour per day, also because children often already use devices and the internet to study. In fact, I want to say that I don’t want to demonize the use of the internet but that I am aware of the fact that from conscious use to abuse and addiction the step is very short. This is why it is important give a maximum usage time and make kids reflect on the fact that if they use devices too much, the time they have left to socialize, in addition to school, sports and meals, is very little.

Does the use of devices also affect children’s sleeping habits?

Yes, sleep disorders they are the third most widespread side effect of the excessive use of devices by adolescents. Preceded by anxiety and depression and followed bysocial isolation.

But do adults know how to set an example for their children regarding the use of technological devices?

Not always, in fact we experts obviously have to do the first thing make parents responsible by educating them to use the internet consciously. Parents often sit at the table, turn on the TV and look at the PC screen, and they must understand that it is important not to do so. But we cannot prevent parents from controlling their children, because the digital subculture is around the corner. Young people must be made responsible for the risks of the internet so that they then learn to always deal with them conscious use.

So control isn’t harmful to children?

If the parent explains to the son the reason for his control this is not harmful. Just as the adult teaches the child not to cross the road alone, because he wants to explain to him by example the right way to do it, and he can’t throw him between the cars and tell him to get by, so it works with the net. Only by controlling the contents to which your children have access can you prevent them from being “overwhelmed” by what is not suitable for them.

Are there any dangers related to the content that teenagers can access?

Of course, teenagers can find all those elements related to digital subculture online, for example swearing, encouraging the use of drugs or alcohol, dangerous online challenges. This is why having control over content, a filter, is necessary for kids. Instagram is already committed to obscuring some content, all new introductions for the protection of children are welcome.

We adults are already at risk, let alone children. I’ll give you an example: I had a child in my studio who involuntarily accessed his father’s social networks and saw content that wasn’t suitable for his age. The consequence was his mutism, which we are now trying to overcome with the help of someone. psychologist. Precisely for this reason children must be protected, with all the means at our disposal.