Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
🛡️ Attorneys general push Congress for child online safety bills: A bipartisan group of 32 state AGs are urging Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) this year. KOSA is intended to boost online privacy and safety for children, creating regulations that reduce the addictive nature and mental health of social media platforms. Last summer, KOSA overwhelmingly passed the Senate in a 91-3 vote, but it’s struggling to clear the House because lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are divided over its language — and there are only weeks left in the current session. In a letter to House and Senate leaders, the AGs cited recent investigations and lawsuits against Meta and TikTok for allegedly harming minors to bolster their case that children need better safeguards online.
🔃 Instagram makes it easier to “refresh” your teen’s recommendations: Instagram is testing the ability for everyone on Instagram — including teens — to reset recommended content. In the app, recommended content appears on Explore, Reels, and Feed. Over time, the algorithm gets a sense of your child’s interests and starts showing them more of what they like. But that can get problematic if your child is consuming a lot of negative content — the app will deliver more of the same. When resetting, users have the option to review the accounts they’re following and unfollow any that share content they don’t want to see. It’s a great addition and something we recommend sitting down with your teen to do together. If the feature isn’t available for your teen’s profile yet or they want to start fresh on other platforms, check out our guide to reset your child’s social media algorithms.
🍎 Social media interactions predict health years later: A recent study found that, at age 21, receiving positive social media posts from peers — such as inside jokes and messages about shared experiences — predicted better physical health seven years later, including lower inflammation, better sleep quality, and healthier BMI. Conversely, receiving posts that deviate from peer norms — like those featuring profanity, drug references, or skipping class — was associated with worse health outcomes. Social media plays a big role in your teen’s peer connections, but quality matters. Parents can play a critical role in their child’s long-term health by encouraging positive online connections, talking about healthy friendships, and staying aware of any red flags (that’s where monitoring comes in handy).
Winter break is just around the corner, and it’s a perfect opportunity to help your teen strike a healthy balance between chill time and productivity. Open communication can help you get a sense of what they want from their break — and guide them toward meaningful activities that recharge and inspire them. Use these conversation starters to chat with your teen about their plans and how they can make the most of their time off.
If you’re thinking about giving your child a phone, you might be debating between a flip phone or smartphone. But are they mature enough for a smartphone? Will the flip phone have all the features they need? Here are the pros and cons of both.
Text message monitoring can help you stay informed and involved when your child starts messaging friends independently. Here are the three main ways to view your child’s iPhone texts, plus tips to make this a team effort.
📱 About one in five Americans get their news from social media, Pew Research Center reports. Seventy percent of the survey respondents believe the news they get from influencers is somewhat different than what they hear elsewhere. Does your child get their news from social media?
🙈 Most social media users don’t read an article past the headline, according to a new study from Penn State. Researchers found that 75% of links were shared without posters clicking the link first. Now’s a good time to digital literacy with your child and remind kids how to check their sources online.
👋 Good news: We always check our sources. Follow BrightCanary on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.
