Teen Privacy On Social Networks
Teenagers’ privacy on social media is part of their right to freedom. Young people need to express themselves to develop intellectually and emotionally, and they find the Internet a modern and fun way to do it. But this worries entire families around the world, who feel excluded from their daily activities and their growth.
The importance of respecting the privacy of adolescents
First of all, we must understand that caring and controlling are not synonymous. Logically, the idea is not for parents to be disinterested in their adolescent children or to say “yes” to everything they want. But respecting their freedom of expression is essential for their development as a person.
When trying to overprotect a teenager, we do not make him stronger or more resistant, but quite the opposite. If we do not let young people discover the world in its different nuances, we will be isolating it in a utopian reality. And this will make it difficult for them to integrate and adapt to adult life and all its adversities.
Attempting to follow all the steps and constantly monitor a teenager is also often counterproductive. It is very likely that the young person will feel overwhelmed by so much pressure and end up isolating himself even more from the family life.
If we respect the privacy of adolescents, we are telling them that they have a space of theirs at home, where they can be themselves. For this reason, it is very important that the young person’s room provides him with this freedom of expression and emotional development.
Teen privacy: personal data and social networks
It is very common for young people to turn to social networks as their space with the greatest freedom of expression. In them they can be shown without feeling recriminated or watched by their parents. As well as expanding your contacts, making new friends, and keeping up with your own time and generation.
But social networks also mean a huge exposure in any corner of the planet. It is important to talk with the adolescent about the importance of preserving their own privacy and knowing how to distinguish their friends from people interested in doing some kind of harm.
It is also essential to teach them to preserve their personal data, document numbers and intimate information.
And when is it correct to intervene?
At first, we must understand that directly intervening in the privacy of adolescents should be an extreme measure. The ideal is to encourage the adolescent to participate and feel welcomed by home life. And this is a daily job that requires the commitment of the whole family.
We know that it can be difficult to get an adolescent to dialogue with their parents or with the adults in their family environment. But small attitudes can create a more favorable environment, where the young person feels invited to express themselves. For example, flexing your vocabulary a bit and trying to listen before recriminating.
But the situation changes radically when a sign of worrying behavior is detected in the young person’s personality. We know that the Internet is a very useful tool, but that it also offers many risks, such as cyberbullying .
Symptoms of bullying
Here are the main symptoms of behavior disorders that may be related to bullying:
- Demonstrate low self-esteem and problems with their own appearance.
- Spending too much time on social media, abandoning other tasks.
- Excessive concern about appearance and overvaluation of the opinion of others regarding their own image.
- Show dependence on being connected to the computer or mobile phone.
- Tendency to isolation, abandonment of old friends and difficulty of integration.
- Extreme and sudden changes in your circle of friends.
- Excessive secrets, lies and attempts to disguise certain behaviors.
- Omitting information or lying about your outings with friends, parties, meetings, etc.
- Behavioral disorders : aggressiveness, hyperactivity, excessive anxiety or depression, among others.
Overcome the embarrassment of asking for professional help
Adolescence is a unique stage in our lives and we know how difficult it is to go through it. But we are not always able to deal with the conflicts of a teenager and help him overcome them.
Isolation, conduct disorders, and negative self-esteem can characterize clinical conditions that require professional care. Therefore, we should not nurture prejudices or be ashamed to consult a psychologist who works especially with young people.
Going to a professional does not mean that we have failed as parents or we are not able to deal with everything alone. Behind every father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, uncle and aunt there is a human being. And human beings have limits and can make mistakes, the important thing is that we always try to learn and improve.
