What parenting taught you about social media?

Filipino parents reflect on timing, boundaries, and what experience has taught them

- 

There is no instruction manual for raising children in the age of social media. Many parents introduced it while still learning its effects themselves, adjusting rules as platforms evolved and children grew older.

Manila Bulletin Lifestyle asked four parents to share what they would change, what they would keep, and what they now know about guiding children through the social media world. (Jane Kingsu-Cheng)

When social media first emerged, my daughter, Aryanna, was around 10 to 12 years old, and we were figuring it out in real-time. It was new territory, but I quickly noticed she wasn’t just consuming content—she was creating it. That observation guided my approach.

I focused on nurturing her creativity while staying very present, often sitting beside her, setting clear boundaries, and grounding everything in values and character. I’m glad I did. Today, she’s a successful content creator and genuinely excellent at what she does.

My Gen Z son, Dylan, was born into a fully digital world, so I applied the same principles but leaned more into balance. Sports became our builtin screen limiter. Looking back, I have no regrets. Football, friendships, and being young take priority—and that feels right. — Jenni Epperson, art director, stylist, Good Finds Club newsletter founder, and mom to Aryanna, 29, and Dylan, 16