The American Psychological Association has released its first set of guidelines to help parents, politicians, and tech companies empower teens to manage their viewing habits.
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The American Psychological Association hopes to help control teens ' online browsing habits. The new guidelines offer parents warning signs related to bad browsing habits, as well as highlight key areas of concern, such as content that encourages violent or risky behavior.
Research consistently shows that video content and the platforms on which it is hosted can both help and harm teenagers
It is recommended to train teenagers so that they can be more selective about the videos they watch.
It is noted that the videos can "help with homework, teach new skills or hobbies, or give an idea of different cultures and experiences.
Here are key strategies for parents who want to help their teens develop healthy video viewing habits:
1. Watch video content with them.
Parents can watch videos with their child whenever possible. This content can and should be very diverse. Parents do not necessarily oblige their child to complete weekly or daily viewing together. Instead, watch what you can with them, and be sure to ask questions about what aspects of the video they like or dislike.
2. get to know your teen's interests and favorite authorities.
This is especially important if you hear about a popular show like the YouTube animated series "Skibidi toilet" or a disturbing trend like "lookmaxxing" that can promote potentially dangerous body care practices.
Influencers can play a huge role in the lives of teenagers. Dr. Mitch Prinstein, co-author of the guidelines and APA's Chief Scientific Officer, encourages parents to keep a close eye on who they subscribe to. This can be as simple as writing down the names of influencers they like.
3. define solid boundaries.
It is not recommended to limit video viewing to a certain number of minutes or hours per day. Instead, it's important to look for signs of distracted behavior, loneliness, and over-viewing that can interfere with a teenager's sleep, among other negative consequences.
Intervention doesn't have to be extreme to justify creating new boundaries. For example, if watching a video prevents a teenager from performing their duties, this is reason enough to reduce their access to content and devices.
Parents should also keep in mind that teens are exposed to ads on video viewing platforms, where they may see products that aren't right for them or aren't safe. Similarly, the growing amount of content generated by artificial intelligence can lead teens to malicious video content in ways that parents may not understand, especially if they watch overtly fake videos.
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