Parent's Guide to Popular Social Platforms

Navigating the Social Media Landscape

Social media platforms have become an integral part of teen life, with 95% of American teens reporting that they use at least one social media platform. For many parents, keeping up with these rapidly evolving platforms—each with their own features, risks, and safety tools—can feel overwhelming.

This guide provides parents with a clear, current overview of the most popular social platforms among teens. For each platform, you'll learn about its main features, potential risks, available safety tools, and practical advice for helping your teen use it responsibly.

Universal Safety Strategies Across Platforms

While each social platform has unique features and concerns, these universal strategies can help protect teens across all of their social media use:

1. Privacy Settings First

Before your teen starts using any new platform, sit down together and review all privacy settings. Make it a rule to:

• Use private accounts whenever possible
• Disable location sharing features
• Restrict who can send direct messages
• Review and set content filters to age-appropriate levels
• Customize who can view, comment on, or interact with posts

2. Friend/Follower Management

Encourage your teen to be selective about their connections:

• Only connect with people they know in real life
• Regularly review and clean up friend/follower lists
• Block users who make them uncomfortable
• Be wary of follow requests from unknown accounts
• Understand that follower counts don't equal self-worth

3. Digital Footprint Awareness

Help teens understand the permanence of what they share:

• Apply the "Grandparent Test" (would you want your grandparent to see this?)
• Remember that screenshots can preserve "disappearing" content
• Consider how posts might be viewed by future colleges or employers
• Be cautious about sharing identifiable information (school uniforms, location tags)
• Think before posting content featuring friends (get permission first)

4. Develop Critical Media Literacy

Teach teens to be thoughtful consumers of social media:

• Recognize edited, filtered, and curated content
• Understand how algorithms create content "bubbles"
• Be aware of marketing and influencer tactics
• Question information sources and verify claims
• Notice how different types of content affect their mood

Conversation Starters for Parents

Open, non-judgmental conversations about social media are essential. Here are some questions to help initiate productive discussions:

• "What do you enjoy most about [platform]? What do you find frustrating about it?"
• "Can you show me some of your favorite accounts to follow? What do you like about them?"
• "Have you ever seen something online that made you uncomfortable? What did you do?"
• "How do you decide what's okay to post and what isn't?"
• "Do you ever feel pressure to present yourself differently online than you are in real life?"
• "How do you handle it when someone sends you a friend request you're not sure about?"
• "What would you do if someone you don't know well started messaging you privately?"

Finding the Right Approach for Your Family

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to managing teen social media use. The right strategy depends on your teen's age, maturity level, and specific concerns. Consider these different approaches:

For Younger Teens (13-14)

• More active monitoring and supervision
• Parental tools enabled with transparency
• Regular check-ins about online experiences
• Time limits enforced through settings or router controls
• Focus on private accounts and known connections only

For Mid-Teens (15-16)

• Gradual increase in autonomy with continued oversight
• Regular conversations rather than constant monitoring
• Negotiated agreements about usage patterns
• Focus on developing self-regulation skills
• Periodic privacy and safety check-ins

For Older Teens (17+)

• Greater independence with established trust
• Focus on mentorship rather than control
• Discussions about digital citizenship and online reputation
• Emphasis on values-based decision making
• Preparation for adult digital life

Creating a Healthy Digital Culture at Home

Social media will continue to evolve, with new platforms emerging and existing ones changing their features. Rather than focusing solely on platform-specific rules, the most sustainable approach is building a family culture of digital wellness and critical thinking.

By modeling healthy technology use yourself, maintaining open communication, and focusing on gradually building your teen's internal decision-making skills rather than imposing external controls, you can help them navigate today's social platforms—and whatever comes next.

Remember that your goal isn't to eliminate all risks (which would be impossible), but to help your teen develop the skills to recognize and respond to potential harms while enjoying the genuine benefits that social connection can provide.