I’m a parent, but I don’t have all the answers to this. But I will say that if you never let them use social media until they’re 18 and legally independent, then you never have the opportunity to teach them how to use it wisely and supervise their usage of it for a time. Just turning 18 doesn’t make you immune to its ill effects. I’m reminded of the really sheltered kids who landed in college and lost their minds on drugs and drink because they’d been so strictly forbidden for so long, and then all those controls were suddenly removed at once. That’s not always the best.
I’m a parent, but I don’t have all the answers to this. But I will say that if you never let them use social media until they’re 18 and legally independent, then you never have the opportunity to teach them how to use it wisely and supervise their usage of it for a time. Just turning 18 doesn’t make you immune to its ill effects. I’m reminded of the really sheltered kids who landed in college and lost their minds on drugs and drink because they’d been so strictly forbidden for so long, and then all those controls were suddenly removed at once. That’s not always the best.