Awareness in Social Media

This week a video has been created that will focus on how social media may play a role in an adolescent’s perception of their body image. Statistics will be discussed, body image will be defined, and ideas will be offered to improve the discussion in your home about promoting positive body image.  After you view the video, look below for this week’s challenge and survey. Also, we invite you to engage in the discussion by leaving a comment below. Challenge: How will you and your family be more aware of social media? Do you know what social media platforms your child uses?  Take notice of discussions in your home on potential negative body talk and make corrections where needed. Promote more positive body talk by being the example. READER SURVEY References Bleakley, A., Ellithorpe, M., & Romer, D. (2016). The role of parents in problematic internet use among US adolescents. Media and Communication, 4 (3), 24. doi:10.176...

Certain words and phrases have crept into our vocabulary that are so common to adolescents while some adults are still trying to figure out what they mean.  Words like tweet, meme, hashtag, swipe right, and regram are part of a daily conversation in the new social norm. Socializing is far more than just being at school, on a sports team, or playing with neighbor friends.  Socialization has dramatically moved to a 3x5 inch screen, or whatever the size of your latest iPhone upgrade is. Are parents fully aware of what their child is looking at in this new social world? To give you an idea of how involved adolescents are in social media, the following statistics were taken from a study done in December 2016 of 790 teens ages 13-17 throughout the United States (NORC, 2017). The following are percentages of teens who had an account on these apps: Instagram: 76% Snapchat: 75% Facebook: 66% (down from 71% in 2015) Twitter: 47% Tumblr, Twitch, LinkedIn: Less than ...