Stuart Ablon, PhD, a clinical psychologist and Founder and Director of Think:Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, in partnership with the Shah Family Foundation, have launched a new website Your Brain on Social Media to support parents talk to their children about social media.
In 2023, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory, warning that excessive social media use can negatively impact children’s mental health, contributing to anxiety, depression, and reduced self-esteem. He emphasized the need for stricter regulations and parental involvement to protect children from harmful online content.
According to a recent survey of parents by The Kids Mental Health Foundation finds, nearly three quarters of all parents and caregivers with children under 18 years of age in the United States are concerned about the mental health and wellness of their children. And many of those parents point to social media as an important contributor to the deterioration of kids’ mental well-being.
Your Brain on Social Media
To support families as they navigate the important, yet often very difficult, conversations regarding social media, the website offers a free set of tools. “As a parent, I know first-hand the struggle families face when trying to navigate all the concerns inherent with a child’s use of social media platforms,” said Jill Shah, President of the Shah Family Foundation. “In partnership with Dr. Ablon, we have boiled down years of research into three easy steps to create a practical guide for families to help them have better conversations with their kids about social media and how it is impacting them. These resources allow families to access expertise and years of behavioral research that will give parents the information they need to be empowered and confident when having these conversations.”
“We are facing an extraordinary youth mental health crisis, and just about every professional, parent, or caregiver I talk to cites social media as putting our kids at risk,” said Dr. Ablon “I’m grateful to the Shah Family Foundation for leading the charge when it comes to actionable solutions to help us as parents work with, not against, our children to protect their mental health from the negative impacts of social media.”
Dr. Ablon and the Shah Family Foundation are making the materials free and openly available at YourBrainonSocialMedia.org. The website offers self-guided videos and prompts; a parent roundtable, guiding parents through a research-proven approach to this issue; a podcast featuring Dr. Ablon and Shah discussing strategies for addressing real social media concerns; and a guide titled “How to Talk to Your Kids About Social Media” that walks parents step-by-step through the conversation with their kids.
The Shah Foundation believes that fostering collaborative discussions rather than one-sided talks, will empower parents to work with their children to tackle social media concerns.
More information and access to the resources can be found at YourBrainonSocialMedia.org.
About the Shah Family Foundation
The Shah Family Foundation is dedicated to supporting innovative solutions in education, healthcare, and community programs to improve lives and build stronger communities.
About Think:Kids
Think:Kids, a program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, teaches a revolutionary, evidence-based approach to addressing challenging behaviors in children.
