A recent survey from the Child Mind Institute found that more parents of teenagers are concerned about internet addiction than about drug addiction. And just a couple of weeks ago 33 U.S. states sued Meta, the company that owns Instagram and WhatsApp, for “harming young users’ mental health through allegedly addictive features.” But how do you know if a teenager is “addicted” to social media, or just spending more time on TikTok than you would like? When does internet use become addictive, harming their mental health, and how can you prevent that from happening?

This week on childmind.org, we round up guidance on kids and internet use. We discuss how to decide when kids are mature enough to handle social media, as well as how to help them make good decisions when they are exposed to the temptations and pressures it offers. We have some guidance about how to set rules around media, including gaming. And we look at the role of the ubiquitous phone: how phones are affecting our kids’ ability to concentrate, what do you want your child’s first phone to be able to do?

– Caroline Miller, Editorial Director | ✉