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Series
Social Studies: Parent Resources
A complementary collection of parent resources for FX's Social Studies, the groundbreaking documentary series by Lauren Greenfield.
As parents, it can be difficult to judge when to give our children independence and when to jump in and help them. The integration of social media into childhood has created a whole new set of parental challenges. When do we allow them to get a smartphone and social media? How do we know they are using social media in a way that is healthy? How do I know if my kid is struggling?
The formative years of their lives in adolescence are important to psychological and social development, and smartphones have complicated these stages of life. Kids are now split between the physical and the digital, with tweens (ages 8-12) spending more than five hours per day on screens and teenagers spending more than eight hours per day on screens as of 2021, according to Common Sense Media. Parents are sometimes at a loss as to how to guide their kids in the digital world, especially when kids are engaging with platforms that we are unfamiliar with. However, parents are in the best position to help their kids with the struggles of preadolescence and adolescence, even if kids’ childhoods are somewhat different than their parents’. Engaging with kids in conversations about their experiences in their real and digital worlds is the first step.
Watching Social Studies can be a critical entry point into these difficult conversations. As parents, it can be a challenge to start conversations with our kids about sensitive topics. Leading with interest, empathy, and questions is a good way to begin. In Social Studies, kids are dealing with a childhood thoroughly integrated with technology and are facing all sorts of academic, social, and psychological challenges, with many struggling to make their way through their digital worlds.
Below are some resources for parents listed by topic to help initiate conversations with kids surrounding digital media and some of the most sensitive issues kids might encounter in their formative years. In each one of these links you’ll find what the kids in Social Studies said about these topics, some guiding questions that you can use in conversations with your own kids, and additional resources to assist in helping kids deal with tough personal challenges.
