Keeping Young People Safe Online Takes All Of Us

Supporting youth mental health requires a comprehensive approach that recognizes young people’s individual needs and the many factors that shape their overall wellbeing. From relationships with family and friends to academic pressures, extracurricular activities and access to mental health resources, ensuring young people have the support they need requires looking at that full picture.

Technology and device usage are also part of that picture. As parents help their children navigate the digital world, they recognize both the value technology can offer and the importance of creating safe online spaces.

The recent agreement between the states and Meta represents meaningful progress in strengthening online protections for young people, and parents across the country are expressing their support. In fact, research from the Coalition to Empower our Future (CEF) found that more than four-in-five support the new measures. But young people don’t just use one platform. They move between apps to connect with friends, discover new content and participate in conversations. When their curiosity leads them to move to another platform with fewer protections, the underlying challenges remain.

In an interview, three parents shared their perspective on the importance of consistent online safety protections for young people. Virginia mom Ericka explained that the need for broader action is clear. She would like to see TikTok adopt the same safeguards as Meta. Ann, another Virginia mom, echoed that sentiment, explaining, “If you limit one, they’re just going to jump on another one that has no restrictions. So I think it needs to be a collective where all social media comes together and follow Meta’s lead and put limits on their apps.”

That is why the next step must be broader industry action. More than 20,000 parents nationwide have signed CEF’s petition calling for TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other platforms where young people spend their time to adopt consistent online protections.

Protections are most effective when they support young people across all online spaces, rather than stop at the boundaries of a single platform. Teens have different experiences and relationships with technology – even siblings growing up in the same household can respond to the online world in very different ways. Safeguards that empower parents with greater visibility and establish time limits can help create a safer digital environment for all young users while allowing room for solutions to support individual needs and circumstances.

These protections are not a substitute for other supportive solutions for youth mental health and wellbeing such as parental involvement, rest, outdoor play and access to mental health resources. They are one important part of a comprehensive approach to support young people’s wellbeing. Establishing consistent protections across platforms can help ensure that a young person’s wellbeing does not depend on the app they choose to open.

As Lauren, another mom, put it, stronger protections are in the best interest of young people and, ultimately, future generations. 

Transcript:

I have the great joy of being a mom to a seven-year-old little guy. 

I have four boys; they’re very close in age. 

My son is 15 and a half years old. We discussed for a long time whether or not a social media account was right for us. 

I do think that that is an added pressure for kids these days. 

He was trying to avoid the fear of missing out. He wanted to be included, and he wanted to connect with his friends. 

There’s great aspects of social media. As a parent, understanding that a child might not understand the complexities and the potential threats and dangers that exist on the online platforms. 

I definitely think it’s a positive step with Meta stepping in and putting in these safeguards. 

And I’m very excited for the tools and the resources that are coming out to help protect him. 

Many parents have been looking for safeguards for a long time. I would love to see TikTok adopt the same safeguards as Meta. 

If you limit one, they’re just going to jump on another one that has no restrictions. So I think it needs to be a collective where all social media comes together and follow Meta’s lead and put limits on their apps.

It’s in the child’s, and frankly, in our future generations’ best interest.

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