BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — In the last 25 years of her middle school teaching career at Mill Middle School in Willamsville, Ronna Glickman says she has seen the effects social media can have on student's self-esteems.
"I have seen what social media has done to students at younger and younger ages," Glickman says. "Anxiety and depression that's what they tell me."
Last July, Glickman created her own website socialmediasafety.education to start the conversation with students and parents about the influence and safe ways to use social media.
Glickman says that having a conversation with teens about social media use, privacy settings, and lasting impact social media has on someone's reputation are important life skills students need to hear at a young age. Glickman says parents should be monitoring students social media use, they should have passwords, and students should not sleep with their cell phones in their own room but have the cell phone charge in the parent's room during the night.
"The number one reason kids do not give information to their parents is because they don't want their device taken away," Glickman said. She recommends parents and teens make a contract, where both adult and child have screen limitations and have a productive conversation about social media use.
"Maybe have a family contract and say we are all going to be off our phones at dinner from six to eight. We are all going to talk about our day," Glickman said.
You can check out Glickman's website here.
