New Teen Video-Viewing Guidelines: What You Should Know
An old public service announcement that once aired before late-night newscasts posed a simple question to parents: “It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?”
A similar prompt for safety-minded 21st century parents might go something like this: “It’s 10 p.m. Do you know what your children are watching online?”
Some parents may have long given up on answering that question, even if they grasp that online videos can expose teens to inappropriate content, including bullying, self-harm, disordered eating, and porn.
What Are the New Guidelines?
The American Psychological Association hopes to help people navigate this challenging dynamic with a new set of guidelines for healthy teen video viewing.
The recommendations offer parents guidance on warning signs related to harmful viewing habits while highlighting key areas of concern, like content that encourages violent or risky behavior, the negative role that influencers can play, and the dangers of AI-generated video material.
3 Strategies for Healthy Teen Video Viewing
1. Co-watch video content with them.
Prinstein says it’s ideal if parents can watch videos with their child, when possible. This content can and should be wide-ranging, inclusive of TV and movies watched together as a family, videos by their favorite influencer, their top TV show, and short-form posts on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
Open-ended conversations about video content can help teens better understand what they’re watching. Plus, it offers an opportunity for parents to talk about their own values, preferably without being judgmental or hectoring.
2. Get familiar with your teen’s interests and favorite influencers.
Prinstein recommends periodically asking your teen what they’re viewing online. This is particularly important if you hear about a popular show, like the animated YouTube series Skibidi Toiliet, or a concerning trend, like “looksmaxxing,” which can promote potentially dangerous body care practices.
If your teen is a fan, try to engage them with questions about what makes it interesting or funny. If they don’t know about certain video content, parents can still be curious about their teens’ opinions on the topics at hand.
3. Identify firm boundaries.
The guidelines do not recommend limiting video viewing to a certain number of minutes or hours each day. Instead, they suggest looking for signs of distracted behavior, loneliness, and excessive viewing that can interfere with a teen’s sleep, among other negative effects.
Prinstein also says this interference doesn’t have to be extreme to warrant creating new boundaries. If video viewing keeps a teen from performing their chores, for example, that’s reason enough to consider reducing their access to content and devices.
Parents should also stay mindful of teens’ exposure to advertising on video-watching platforms, where they may see products that aren’t appropriate or safe for them. Similarly, the rise of content generated by artificial intelligence is likely to steer teens toward harmful video content in ways that parents may not understand, particularly if they’re viewing explicit deepfake videos.
Parents can talk to their teens about non-obvious video content that may still be dangerous, and set boundaries related to engaging with that material, such as forbidding the use of software that creates deepfakes.
Conclusion
Prinstein emphasizes that the burden of preventing harm to teens shouldn’t fall to parents alone. That’s why the guidelines also recommend policies for both politicians and online video-watching platforms to consider.
FAQs
Q: Why is it important to co-watch video content with my teen?
A: Co-watching video content can help parents better understand their teen’s viewing habits and interests, while also providing an opportunity for open and honest conversations about values and potentially problematic content.
Q: What are some red flags for excessive video viewing?
A: Signs of excessive video viewing may include distractions, loneliness, and interference with sleep, social relationships, and daily activities.
Q: How can I identify problematic influencers my teen is following?
A: Research the influencers your teen is following and look for red flags like promoting unhealthy behaviors, body shaming, or spreading misinformation. Consider limiting your teen’s access to content from these influencers.
