When I was a kid, my parents worked really hard to teach my how and why to avoid things that would harm me. This ranged from discouraging behaviors like running

When I was a kid, my parents worked really hard to teach my how and why to avoid things that would harm me. This ranged from discouraging behaviors like running with scissors or drinking and driving, to substances like tobacco or heroin. Social media did not exist when I was a child, or I'm certain it would have been among those behaviors taught to me as harmful, addictive, and easy to screw yourself up by being involved with. Of course...it would have been much harder for me to absorb those life lessons if my parents did those things they told me were harmful. If dad got loaded and drove around, or if mom shot up smack, it would have compromised me avoiding those things by following their example. It's tough to tell your kid to avoid social media when they watch their parent mindlessly entranced by it. Do the right thing there, remind your children that what 'Joe Influencer' or 'Jane Fashionista' thinks doesn't fucking matter. There are attention seeking idiots all around us, but they exist in spectacular high volume on social media. tldr; parent your children to avoid social media, there is limited upside and infinite downside. This may mean not scrolling meme's all night on your phone while your kid does their homework - but you can do it.