THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON PARENTING

Sharing photos of our little ones on social media may seem harmless. However, there are a few potential dangers to look out for before clicking Post’.

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Social media dominates the world that we live in. It has changed how we interact with each other, how we work and even how we raise our kids. Nearly everything that happens in our lives gets considered in a social media context. Thoughts like ‘If I take a photo of this, will my Instagram followers like it?’ bubble up before first thinking whether or not we want the photo for ourselves. We have been conditioned to prioritise sharing moments over enjoying them. And it’s totally understandable, it’s not your fault. Becoming aware of it is half the battle. With this awareness, we can take a second to double-check if we’re doing something for ourselves, or for online admiration.

It goes without saying that this has an impact on our parenting. Are we focusing too much on the perfect photo, perhaps tainting the organic nature of the present moment? Let’s take a closer look at how social media affects our relationships with our children so we can be sure to re-centre our attention and give our kids what they really need.

COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY

Possibly the most dangerous effect of social media is the way that it makes us compare our lives to the lives of others. If you were to post a photo of your little one and it receives less likes than a photo your friend posted of their child, how would you feel about that? Would you feel that the photo was bad or even that people prefer the other child?