How to Protect Your Kids from Social Media Dangers

Parents can’t count on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook to keep kids safe. myFirst Circle gives families control and kids connection — without the dangers.

Last year, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy took his "Social Media and Youth Mental Health" advisory to the next level, calling for public health warnings on social media platforms. But those calls for change and multiple lawsuits against companies like Meta haven't yielded any actionable results.

As a parent, you can't wait for third parties to act. You need solutions today that help you protect and guide your children. That's where myFirst Circle comes in — it's a private, parent-controlled, kid-friendly social platform designed to help kids explore social digital connection in a safe space.

It's not all online predators and inappropriate content (although those are a threat) that can impact your child's wellbeing on social media. It's become accepted that social media use presents real mental health risks for young people. There are links to anxiety, depression, and body image issues. On top of that, the social pressure for likes and followers amplifies stress and anxiety.

And even though it may seem impossible to avoid social media and all of its risks, you can use a combination of best practices and technical tools to mitigate your child's exposure. As a parent of adult children who survived the gauntlet of the internet, I have first-hand experience with the difference an involved parent can make.

The one thing I didn't have was today's safe kids technology, like closed-network smartphones and smartwatches. Closed networks are the best way to keep out the proverbial online boogyman, but kids still want to share photos and funny comments with their friends. The myFirst Circle app delivers both: a closed, parent-supervised network that allows for interaction and community.

• Kids still crave online connections and community.
• Mainstream platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and even WhatsApp prioritize engagement and ad revenue, not the safety of their users.
• Parents need a training ground to teach kids digital responsibility before they’re on TikTok or Instagram.

myFirst Circle is an app that works both within the myFirst ecosystem and with iOS and Android devices. It keeps kids safer online by creating a parent-controlled social environment where only approved contacts can interact with your child. This controlled environment allows you to monitor activity, manage contacts, set location boundaries, and even receive SOS alerts if they get into trouble.

I installed the myFirst Circle app on my iPhone and it was simple and straightforward. It took around five minutes, and within 10, I already had my first connection with our myFirst tester, "Chuck." Scroll through the images below for a tour of the setup process. 

Part of our mission to help families be proactive when it comes to safety is making sure kids have the skills they need to navigate the world — both online and in real life. Keeping kids in a controlled network is only half of the equation. At some point, they're going to be out there on the internet without our watchful eye.

You can use myFirst Circle as a training ground to set your kid up for success. It also gives you the chance to have vital conversations about the impact of things you post, as well as how reactions and comments (or the lack thereof) can make you feel happy, sad, afraid, or angry. The opportunity to explore these topics in a protected environment is such a help in teaching good citizenship in online communities.

Here's a look at how myFirst Circle gives parents an assist in establishing healthy online habits:

• Teaches kids how to post safely in a controlled space.
• Parents can model and coach their children in healthy online interactions.
• Builds habits of privacy, respect, and balance before exposure to mainstream platforms.
• Focuses on authentic connection, not vanity metrics (likes/followers).

The risks of social media for kids are real and, unfortunately, they're growing. The good news is that there are more solutions available today than ever before. Parents should take proactive steps to keep kids safe while allowing them to test out online connections and community (because they're going to get there eventually). myFirst Circle is a tool that really bridges that gap. It provides kids with a safe, private community and empowers parents to guide their digital journey.