Surgeon General’s Warning On Social Media

I don’t feel like celebrating the surgeon general’s warning on social media for children. It doesn’t feel like a win to me.

1. It took too long for this issue to come to the mainstream. So much damage done.

2. A win in my book are individual parents standing up and saying, this is wrong, and we aren’t going to allow this to happen to our children.

What does that look like?

It looks like war. A David and Goliath fight.

The rhetoric is individual parents can’t/shouldn’t have to say no to their kids when everyone else is on social media. So the government, big tech, anyone in a position to make decisions should.

Absolutely not.

The rule in our house is no social media until 18. I have explained the reasons why and my teenager has seen all the documentaries. It’s our value system, it’s what we believe to be right and true and we do not apologize for that or change our minds because “everyone else is doing it.”

And guess what? My kids have healthy, thriving social lives in person with real people. They are connected in real life and are not “missing out” on social media.

Why is that not enough?

This is not a time to “follow” and do what everyone else is doing. THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON WE CAN TEACH OUR CHILDREN TODAY. Big tech calls us “users” and “followers.” They have desensitized us to these words. But think about those words. Users signify addicts and follows do what everyone else is doing even if it doesn’t work for them. I teach my kids to be leaders, to go against the grain if the grain is wrong. We stand strong in that because that is what keeps us healthy and resilient.

I want individual parents to know they can do the same. Stop waiting for someone to save the children. What will this warning from the surgeon general even do? I smoked cigarettes in the late 90s. The warning label was very large on the package of cigarettes and I saw it every time I went to light up. Did this stop me from smoking?

NOPE!

I had to make the choice to stop. To dig deep in my own power and do something hard! Everyone knew smoking was bad for you, but it didn’t stop us because cigarettes are addictive. Social media is addictive and I want to give my kids the foundation for learning the social and emotional skills they need before they bring social media into their lives. I want to have the influence before media hooks their greedy claws into them!

We have a fight on our hands parents, and we need to be strong.

I stand with you, I am here to support you in teaching your children to be leaders because this is not the time to follow!