Is your child constantly checking Facebook looking for updates?
Do you observe any changes in their mood when they are not able to use Facebook for a while?
The fancy world of Facebook attracts everyone to stick to it. Frequently checking for other’s life updates, sharing information, chatting, and watching videos can get you got stuck to your device without even knowledge of time. According to a report, 42.9% of 10-year-olds use social media on daily basis out of which 37.8% of them use Facebook. Now, using something for a healthy duration of time is acceptable, but addiction to it always has negative consequences.
The social media addiction effects include anxiety and distress, a distraction from their studies. Hence, controlling the child’s Facebook addiction becomes necessary for their well-being. Social media monitoring can help parents to control their kids’ Facebook addiction.
How To Find Out That Your Child Is Addicted To Facebook?
You can look for the following signs to identify your child’s Facebook addiction.
1.Using Facebook to Escape With Problems
Alice used to hate studying Maths. Whenever she was forced to study the subject, she would instead waste her time using Facebook. Escapism is often a foundation for addiction. Kids tend to avoid doing things they either hate or have issues with doing, and the time set to solve those problems is often spent on using Facebook.
Parents can look out if their kids are avoiding some tasks and are seen on their phones instead.
2.Frequently Looking for Surfing Facebook
Victor is seen using Facebook very frequently. Even when he set a strict rule to use Facebook only two times a day, he was seen using it more than that. If for some reason he were not able to check the app, he would be seen as irritated and anxious. These are all signs of Facebook addiction.
The effect of Facebook addiction includes anxiety, irritation, and anger when not able to check it for a longer time.
3.Over-Sharing of Social Media Posts
Tom always updates his daily updates on social media. Even the smaller details while going out or some other updates are actively shared. Facebook initiates the urge of posting everything online in kids. This could result in sharing even personal information on the public platform.
The social media effect can result in being attacked by cyber predators that can gather information and lure kids to do something dangerous. Parents should look out for the information through social media monitoring app to ensure that whether their kid is sharing online to keep the kids safe from any cyber predator.
4.Lack of Communication Skills
Have you observed that your kid is not communicating in public space? Now, social media works behind the screen. While they are connecting people worldwide, it is taking away people from real-life interaction. The kids addicted to Facebook are comfortable sharing information from their devices and facing discomfort while they are interacting with someone in real life.
This could be an effect of Facebook addiction. Parents should monitor their kids’ communication skills in a face-to-face interaction to see if they have an addiction to Facebook.
5.Does Not Show Interest In Extracurricular Activities
Peter’s parents noticed that he was not interested in going out to play. Instead, he was always seen using Facebook. Facebook addiction often eats all the time, and kids are not able to make time for their hobbies and extra-curricular activities. They could have an unorganized routine which can affect their concentration.
The effects of Facebook addiction can be adverse, which can affect the overall development of kids by hindering their daily routine. Parents must ensure that the kids are getting involved in the extra-curricular activities.
6. Popularity Addiction
The world today is revolving around social media. Kids tend to get attracted by the glittering of the likes on Facebook. This gets them to post pictures, updates on Facebook to gain more likes and, eventually, more popularity on Facebook.
But this stimulation of gaining popularity on Facebook can lead to disappointment, distress, and depression if they don’t get enough engagement on their posts. This can lead them to fall into self-doubt and feeling not good enough. So parents can keep an eye on children by tracking their social media accounts.
Feeling Restless in the Lack of the Internet
Sofia’s mother observed that whenever the Internet was down,, she acted anxious and restless. She would eagerly wait for the Internet to start again, and as soon as the Internet was back, she would be constantly on her phone. The internet serves as a drug to Facebook addiction.
Kids who are addicted to Facebook tend to get restless in cases of power failures or internet shutdowns. The restlessness comes because of addiction and not being able to check the updates on Facebook.
What Can You Do To Stop Your Child’s Facebook Addiction?
The Facebook tracking app can help parents to control their child’s Facebook addiction. The app allows parents to monitor the information they are sharing on Facebook, people they are interacting with, the content they are consuming, and, ultimately, the amount of time their kid spends on Facebook. The Facebook messenger location tracking features allow parents to look at the messages.
Parents’ parental control software like mSPY, NetNanny, TiSPy provides Facebook tracking features that can help parents to monitor their kid’s Facebook usage activity to keep control of their addiction.
Before selecting a parental control software, parents should consider factors like budget-friendly, reliability of the provided information, security of the software, etc. The features that a Parental control app provides are to ensure kids’ safety and control their addiction.
- Call Recording
- Social Media Post Monitoring
- Abusive Posts Detection
- Conversation Tracking
- Location Tracking
- Screen Time Recording
- App Blocking
Conclusion
Social media is becoming a prominent part of our lives. Kids tend to get addicted to these platforms because of various reasons. The effects of Facebook addiction can disrupt kids’ lifestyles and affect their development. Facebook addiction can also result in behavioral changes in kids.
When parents identify their kid’s addiction, they can monitor the social media activity of kids using parental control apps and save them from addiction and its serious effects.
