Social media plays an essential role in the lives of teenagers. Some of the most popular platforms amongst today's youth, like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, connect them with friends, family, and of course, other Scouts! Social media can help strengthen relationships, initiate connections, and even comfort anyone struggling to find support during challenging times. Unfortunately, social media can also leave teenagers feeling insecure and vulnerable. The goal of Scouts BSA is to shape our nation's youth into responsible citizens who uphold the Scout Oath and Law. We teach our Scouts to be prepared for any challenge, to make ethical choices when difficult situations arise, to live by a set of principles centered around kindness, courtesy, and courage. But how do we protect teenagers without impeding upon one of their favorite sources of social interaction? If you feel like you need to focus more on the emotional well-being of your Scout, read on to learn more about ways to implement healthy boundaries on their use of social media. 

Boundaries are the limits we set with other people. They protect our personal space and feelings by outlining how we should act around others and how others should expect us to behave around them. We can apply the same principle to social media. When we work closely with our teenagers to set rules and guidelines regarding their social media use, it's essential to remember the internet is the primary method of connection for younger people in today's world. When setting boundaries,  note that we don't want to impose guidelines—we want teenagers to set the boundaries themselves. Our job as authority figures is to model these limits and guide the conversation so teenagers feel in control of their emotional well-being. Social platforms like Facebook and Twitter provide teenagers with spaces to share their thoughts and feelings with others, and when managed carefully, they can serve to enhance their lives in the real world.

For this reason, boundaries should be put in place on social media to supervise the content teenagers share online and help digest information that might be harmful to their emotional well-being. The goal of setting rules on social media use shouldn't be to restrict content but rather facilitate an environment of trust where your teenager feels comfortable approaching you after encountering harmful content online. Gradually building trust is an excellent way of establishing confidence in your role as an authority figure in a Scout's life.

1. Negotiate a time limit
2. Encourage your teen to follow you
3. Sit down and have a heart to heart 

A time limit is one of the most effective rules you can set on your Scout’s social media usage. According to a report by The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, on any given day, teenagers aged 13-18 spend about seven hours with screen media, three of which are spent using social media. Based on the data, teenagers spend roughly 30% of their day staring at a screen, whether a television, smartphone, or tablet. One way to encourage a healthier relationship with social media is to negotiate a time limit with your teenager and come to an agreement on stepping away from social platforms for a specific amount of time each day. The best way to achieve this is not by thinking of the limit as restrictive but a time to focus on their physical well-being. When you promote a time limit, the hours a teenager spends away from social media should be filled with physical activity like walking, running, or even a few laps around the pool with friends and family. Time limits are also a great way to encourage your teenager’s creativity by allowing them an hour or two to practice an instrument, paint, or read. Regardless of your teenager’s favorite activity, a time limit helps them practice time management skills and promotes a healthy digital-life balance.

Although your kids may not believe it, you were once a teenager too. And although their world is undoubtedly different from the one where you grew up, one fact remains the same—being a teenager is stressful. A great way to promote a healthy relationship with social media is by showing your teenager you can have fun and forge meaningful relationships online. After all, children often learn by watching you! Agree with your teenager to be friends or follow each other on the social media platforms they join and use daily. When a teenager sees how you behave on social media and present yourself to the world, it can influence how they behave on these platforms. Following your teenager on social media is also a great way to monitor their behavior online and keep track of what they share with others. Just as teenagers need to limit their use of social media, you should refrain from over-monitoring your teenagers' accounts. It's essential to remember the goal here is to build trust, not skepticism. When teenagers feel they can trust you, the result can have a tremendous impact on how they communicate with leadership and view authority.

We want our children to love themselves, to feel validated, and, above all, to recognize their voice matters. The reality of the situation is that teenagers today have grown up in a time where information is literally at their fingertips, and where the lives of celebrities and influencers are magnified on the screen. Take some time to sit down with your teenager and make sure they understand not everything they see on social media correlates with reality. Holding an open dialogue with your teenager allows them to recognize that platforms like Instagram and Facebook raise insecurity and may cause them to harbor a sense of discontentment. Your teenager’s perception of what they see on social media can breed low self-esteem and a lack of self-worth. Make sure they understand people on social media tend to share far more good news than bad news. Also note that social media can often lead teenagers to feel resentment, and in turn, cause them to say hurtful things to others online. Remind them that although social platforms provide people with a license to be cruel, kindness will ultimately have a more profound impact on their lives and their community.

When setting boundaries on social media, it's important to recognize when a line is crossed that compromises both the well-being of your teenager and your authority. Some examples of crossing boundaries on social media range from verbal abuse to threats to shaming, blaming, and sharing personal information that diminishes the online privacy and integrity of others. Say you follow your teenager on Facebook, and you see they have made negative comment on the sexual orientation of a classmate. If you allow their behavior to go unchecked for weeks or even months, the victim has the right to file cyber-harassment and cyber-stalking with your local police district, which in turn can diminish your family’s reputation within the community. As a parent and authority figure, you are responsible for monitoring your teenager’s behavior online and intervening when necessary. When you set and enforce limits and regulations on social media successfully, you are promoting a lifestyle of honesty, respect, and cheerfulness.

Setting boundaries on your teenager’s social media is essential to maintaining the integrity of your authority. When limits are set, you can protect your teenager’s emotional and physical well-being while also preventing consequences for yourself. It’s never too late to establish a line of trust with your teenager and foster an environment where they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with you. Only through honesty, courage, and respect can you foster a positive environment for teenagers to become outstanding community members.