The Cohasset Safe Harbor Coalition hosted a forum on social media and healthy relationships.
Program Director Nicole Balaschi says 16% of students at the high school reported that social media was a significant form of stress.
Guest speakers Katie Tyler and Brittany Badgett from Health Imperatives spoke about the importance talking to children about social media.
“They need to think twice about what they’re posting before they’re sending things,” said Badgett, a Youth Community Services Manager. “Teaching them the importance of taking a minute to process what are you about to send — is this really what you want people to know about you? Make sure they realize that once it’s out there, it’s out there.”
Badgett said with screenshots, it’s hard to erase content even if the original post is deleted.
“Anything you put on the internet or out in the world never actually goes away,” said Badgett. “Making sure that our young people know that you can’t take it back, and that it does not disappear.”
From bullying to explicit content, they said parents need to know children may come in contact with strangers over platforms such as Kik, Twitch, or Snapchat.
Katie Tyler, the Vice-President for Violence and Intervention, says the anonymous nature of social media can be a problem.
“Unfortunately youth are at a stage in their development, we know their brain doesn’t really develop until their early 20’s,” said Tyler. “So, they might have some problems with impulse control, they might feel invincible already. That’s developmentally appropriate for youth, and online, that sort of elevates that feeling. That’s where some of these unhealthy power and control dynamics can play out online, because youth don’t often recognize the consequences in the same way they would in real life.”
The forum also covered unhealthy relationships, signs of abuse, and other tips for parents to communicate with children.
The forum will be posted on SafeHarborCohasset.org.
