OPINION:
Hollywood might seem like the last place on earth from which you would want to glean parenting advice, yet actress Jennifer Garner’s recent social media mantra offers a viable — and arguably essential — childrearing blueprint.
Ms. Garner, known for shows such as “Alias” and movies like “Yes Day,” is solidifying herself as one of Tinseltown’s most common-sense performers. She recently told the “Today” show the refreshing reason she won’t let her kids use social media.
The 50-year-old star, who has 17, 13, and 11-year-old children with ex-husband Ben Affleck, explained how she told her kids they would need to furnish proof that social media benefits children if they had any hopes of being allowed to use platforms such as TikTok, Twitter and Facebook.
“I just said to my kids, ‘Tell me, show me the articles that prove that social media is good for teenagers, and then we’ll have the conversation,’” she said. “Find scientific evidence that matches what I have that says that it’s not good for teenagers, then we’ll chat.”
It should come as no surprise that the actress’ children couldn’t dig up a treasure chest of material heralding the benefits of social media.
After all, study after study shows the diabolical and troubling impact the platforms are having on young people.
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And while Ms. Garner said it’s tough not to give in and let her children use social media — and noted she still has two younger kids for whom she must hold out — her older daughter is thankful for her mom’s guidance.
Perhaps most disturbing about Ms. Garner’s guidance is how many parents simply refuse to follow it. Many mothers and fathers today are busy, beleaguered and trying to survive it all. Mix that with an inaptitude for technology and you’ve got a crisis point.
Many parents have discernment in various areas, but guidance for many has been completely thrown out the window when it comes to social media consumption.
A 2021 survey found parents admitting around half of their kids between the ages of 10 and 12 were on social media, with 32% of parents of kids aged 7 to 9 saying the same.
This is deeply troubling amid research about issues surrounding self-esteem and mental health, and it becomes even more problematic if parents aren’t monitoring what their kids are consuming.
Sadly, many parents today simply aren’t aware of social media algorithms and how they work, with these systems sometimes serving up inappropriate content to kids.
SEE ALSO: Parents, wake up: Your kids aren’t your friends, and neither are their screens
As I posited in a recent column about parental responsibility: “Are you really comfortable handing over unrestricted tablet and internet access to your children when studies show most teens have already seen pornography by age 13? Are you not aware that between 2019 and 2020, the number of 9-12-year-olds who think it’s normal to share nude photos and videos with one another soared from 13% to 21%?”
Parents would be smart to take Ms. Garner’s approach to social media and protect young hearts and minds. For a culture that endlessly bellows about “following the science,” too many parents and stakeholders apparently want to ignore this mantra when it comes to social media.
The science has spoken, and the results are tragic.
States such as Utah are beginning to take action, as the Beehive State recently put into law new measures that severely restrict social media for minors.
Under the new regulations that go into effect next year, parents must give consent for minors under the age of 18 to open accounts, with social media companies being implored to limit overnight use between 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. each day for these youths.
Such proposals might cause weeping and gnashing of teeth among small government enthusiasts, but with mental health crises soaring and societal structures crumbling, some politicians are desperate to step in to help curb the social media fallout.
It’s time for parents, too, to step up and fulfill their responsibility to protect children from all harms, including those emerging in our ever-complex digital age.
From inappropriate content to mental health struggles, social media use must be curtailed, and young people must be enabled to appropriately grow and develop without even more complexities pressed in on them by social media.
As for Ms. Garner, I give her major accolades for so openly sharing this solid parenting advice. Sometimes, Hollywood does get it right.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Hallowell is the author of four books, including “Playing with Fire: A Modern Investigation into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts,” and “The Armageddon Code: One Journalist’s Quest for End-Times Answers.”
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