How to improve your kids' experiences on social media

As kids retreat back indoors after a long summer outside, back-to-school season provides a good opportunity for parents to revisit how their children are using social media to stay connected with their friends.

If heading back-to-school wasn't already an emotional experience for kids, a new global survey commissioned by LG Electronics found social media can be a source of anxiety for young people. Almost half of the respondents (45%) reported their social media feeds consist of an equal or greater amount of negative rather than positive content. In fact, more than 1 in 4 (28%) claimed negative content on social media feeds has increased their anxiety, and 1 in 5 (20%) said it has made them unhappy.

While it can be normal to worry how social media impacts your child's mental health — especially if you struggle to limit their time spent on social media — there are simple ways your child can adjust their feeds to provide more positive scrolling experiences.

Social media expert and information science professor Casey Fiesler, Ph.D., explains how algorithms affect the content everyone sees.

"Algorithms determine what users see on social media by predicting content they're likely to engage with based on past engagement," said Fiesler. "These algorithms can send anyone down specific niches — for good and bad. Research shows that it's possible to quickly go down negative rabbit holes and encounter harmful content."

How can you help your kids enjoy the positive benefits of social media — like connecting with friends and family, being entertained and sharing happy moments — without experiencing potential harm?

Here are concrete actions that can help your kids enjoy what's good about social media.

Model good behavior

It's often said kids pay more attention to what you do than what you say. With that in mind, consider how you use social media. Are you glued to your feed for hours? Do you vocalize negative content you're seeing?

Notice how much you're scrolling, and what you say about it. Can you share positive, upbeat content with your kids instead of the negative? If you do see something negative, consider how you communicate the feelings it brought up for you and why you chose not to interact with it.

Open the conversation

By talking about what you see on social media and how it makes you feel, you're opening a conversation with your kids — and letting them know you're there to listen when they have feelings about what they see.

Ask them what they enjoy about social media and what they don't. What do they do when they encounter something that makes them uncomfortable or sad? Listening is crucial to keep communication channels open.

Find workable limits

While it may be impossible to completely prevent your kid from using social media, you can impose limits. Your home's Wi-Fi router likely has features allowing you to control when your kids have access to the internet and the ability to ban sites. You may want to ensure they're interacting with social media in common areas rather than spending too much time alone with internet access.

It's also recommended to keep phones and other devices out of bedrooms, to limit social media exposure as well as promoting a good night's sleep. Need kids to wake up early? Use an old-fashioned alarm clock.

How much control you impose will be based on your child's age and other considerations unique to your family. Again, talking with your kids is the best way to ensure they know the pitfalls and red flags they should be aware of online.

Improve their feeds

LG is tackling negative content on social media by helping more people discover upbeat, positive and optimistic content through its new "Optimism Your Feed" playlist. This is a simple way to help reset your kids' and your own social feeds, inviting more uplifting content you can feel good about.

"This is one way you can exert some control over what your social media algorithm serves you," explained Fiesler. "When you engage with optimistic content, it's kind of like telling the algorithm, 'I want more of this,' and as a result you might see more positive content the next time you start scrolling."

The "Optimism Your Feed" playlist includes original content from global influencers and content creators known for their positive content like Victoria Browne, Tina Choi and Josh Harmon. Featuring 20 short-form videos, when interacted with, the playlist is designed to help pull more positive content into your feed. This is part of the Life's Good campaign that LG introduced last year to inspire and encourage people to approach life with an optimistic attitude.

As social media continues to be an integral part of everyone's lives, by being more conscious about what you and your kids interact with, you'll be choosing to bring stronger optimism, balance and happiness to your lives this school year.

Explore the "Optimism Your Feed" playlist on LG's global TikTok channel @lge_lifesgood and YouTube channel @LGGlobal.