Supporting teens - Disturbing videos

[Iona_RO]

There's a lot of positives when it comes to social media and the friendships, education and support it can connect your teen with. Unfortunately, it can also expose them to information and videos that can be really distressing and triggering. 

It's really important that we support our teens if this happens, and we can do that by :

- Deciding if the content they have access to is suitable for them. 

- Doing your own research and stay up to date on the issues and pop culture your teen is interested in.

- Making sure they are aware that not everything on social media is true or exactly how it seems.

- Reminding them that they don't need to watch something they don't want to, even if their friends have.

- Encouraging them to practice self-care and take breaks from their screens.

- Being approachable when they want someone to talk to, and know where to seek extra support if needed.

You can find more information and tips on this here. We also encourage you to seek support for yourself, seeing disturbing content online is distressing for all of us. So make sure you reach out to supports when you need it too.