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The Complete Guide to Social Media

The Complete Guide to Social Media

Grace Bedsole
February 28, 2023

Happy Tuesday! Did you miss us? We believe it’s a parent's right to worry. But we’re here to help you Worry Smarter, Not Harder. Today we’re covering the complete guide needed to navigate your teen's mental health.

Quick Thought From Us

Can you retweet this? Wait, did you follow her back? OMG, I just went viral on Tik Tok! Listen to this new trending sound, oh and did you see that meme going around? #LMAO

Ok, did any of that make sense? Maybe? Well, these are likely some things that your teens are either talking about with their friends or in front of you. Don't fret Mom and Dad, we got you with a new series of social media breakdowns. Today we're chatting about the hottest social media apps of 2023. Get your pencils ready for notes everyone!

Social Media 101 - Off to the interweb!

Twitter

The Basics: Blurbs, jokes, pieces of gossip, phrases, news, slander, you name it. All written content that is passed around, liked, retweeted, or sent via direct message. And yes, people are still using it even though Elon is sitting on the throne.

Need to Know: There are two ways to use this app:

First way is to see information from people you most likely will not ever meet. So think celebrities, news, etc. Use it in this way to personally filter what is happening in the world and how you are consuming it.
Second way is to develop an online only pen pal relationship where a circle of people who are interested in a topic connect. Most likely, you will never ever meet or see these ‘friends’ in real life.

How to Worry Smarter: We think it is best to refrain from sharing contact information, location, or images on this app especially in these circles that include unknown figures. Caution is key, so make sure to have conversations with your teen about internet safety and spam accounts.

Tik Tok

The Basics: It started with a video, supposedly designed to make us laugh, but has now become a mixed bag reminiscent of Mary Poppins. Your teen can view anything from a recipe for advanced PB&J sandwiches to the latest Andrew Tate news (look him up if you are unaware).

Need to Know: Every piece of content on the internet has most likely been circulated via Tik Tok.

How to Worry Smarter: Whether a user consumes or creates the media filtering around Tik Tok, exercise app limits and boundaries to monitor the amount of information mentally downloaded in one sitting. Studies have shown some teens develop “Tik Tok Tics” from too much viewing. Tik Tok also has a pretty wide community of viewers and once a video is published it has the potential to go viral overnight. If your teen chooses to create content, check in regarding the effects of virality.

Snapchat

The Basics: Mainly used to check in with friends on the whereabouts of social events and plans. Pictures can be sent back and forth and disappear after a certain set second amount.

Need to Know: Screenshots are legal and there is also a “hidden camera roll” feature where pictures can be only accessed on the app with a passcode. SnapMaps is the brand’s version of Life360 and can act as a social tracker for friends and anyone public on the app. Watch out for the stress around losing a “streak” - a measurement of how many consecutive days two individuals have snapped without breaking it.

How to Worry Smarter: SnapMaps can sometimes lead to stress and anxiety about someone’s whereabouts, we don’t think it is necessary to share. Also, if someone screenshots an image, a notification is shared with the sender.

BeReal

The Basics: Notifications are sent once throughout the day at random times. Once you get the notification, upload a selfie within 90 seconds in order to post to all your friends.

Need to Know: Users can see how many times someone retook a photo, we think this is due to the amount of times it takes to get that perfect picture. Comments and likes are available but not as powerful as they are for Instagram.

How to Worry Smarter: Given that BeReal is to showcase real-life, unfiltered content - it is certainly possible to post photos with information that is better kept private such as your location. Also, make sure that geolocation settings are turned off especially if your child is posting to the general discovery feed, which any user can see.

Gas

The Basics: “Ultimately, the app is used to Gas someone up by sending a compliment and cheering each other on. The anonymous poll-based social app challenges users to answer questions about their friends, with only positive replies allowed on the platform. But only time will tell if users find a way to game the system to enter bullying territory. If you have not heard of the Gas app yet, it's not because you are too old or out of touch. It's only currently available in 12 states in the US as it gradually increases server capacity.”

Need to Know: “But as Gas continues to rise in popularity with the teenage community on Snapchat, tech-savvy parents are also beginning to explore the risks and dangers of using an app that uses their child's location data and confirms their high school name.”

How to Worry Smarter: We’ll need to see how this one evolves in the coming months, but for the time being it seems less dangerous than other socials. Keep in mind, though, that it may cause stress, anxiety, and exacerbate insecurities for teens trying to figure out who is behind certain answers.

Want to discover new ways to boost your teen’s wellbeing? Chat now for free with a LINK mentor expert.

Learning the Landscape - Being a teen in 2023, kinda sucks

The current generation of teenagers have suffered more than any other due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the stressors of the modern digital world. Teenagers face more pressure to succeed than ever before and the combination of social distancing and social media has left teens feeling lonely, stressed, and anxious. In addition, parents are drained and burned out trying to manage the unknown ramifications of their teens' struggles in an unfamiliar digital world. Teens have always turned to their friends and parents to help them get through the hard parts of adolescence. Unfortunately, in 2023, teens have been left to rely only on themselves.