New research released by mental health service, ReachOut Parents reveals that one third of Australian parents are concerned about their teens’ use of social media and are unsure about the role they can play in helping to keep their teens safe online.
The research reportedly included more than 500 parents and caregivers from across Australia* and found that the top five concerns that parents have about their teens’ use of social media are:
- Bullying;
- Exposure to inappropriate content;
- Unwanted contact or grooming;
- Sexting or sharing nudes;
- Privacy concerns.
Following the release of this research, ReachOut Parents is partnering with Instagram Australia to launch a new ‘Parents Guide to Instagram’.
This guide is said to be a practical handbook, which provides parents and carers with information about the platform’s safety features, and includes expert tips for parents, such as how to start a conversation with teens about staying safe when using Instagram.
“This new research shows that 32% of parents aren’t quite sure how to use the safety controls on social media and almost 40% of parents aren’t quite sure what they would do if their teen had a safety issue on social media,” says Head of Service Delivery at ReachOut Parents, Jackie Hallan.
“Based on these findings, it was not surprising that 40% of parents told us that they want more support to help them understand social media so that they can feel confident to talk to their teens about it.
“The new ‘Parents Guide to Instagram’ responds to these research findings by providing practical and useful information and tips.
“The guide explains the range of safety features and helps parents bridge that potential gap between the information and talking to their teens about it.
“ReachOut has partnered with Instagram again on this guide because we know that social media plays a huge part in the lives of so many teenagers across Australia.
“The more parents and teens that are aware of the safety features that are available on Instagram and actually use them, the better.”
According to Josh Machin, Head of Policy for Facebook and Instagram Australia, the guide is a vital new resource for parents to understand the latest safety and privacy features on Instagram.
“Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of young people on our platforms,” says Mr Machin.
“Parents play a key role in guiding teens’ online experiences, and [this] research shows they need more information to ensure those experiences are safe and positive.
“This new guide will support parents, carers and teachers in understanding how our safety tools work—including a dozen new features—and shares helpful tips from ReachOut on talking to young people about social media.”
Download the Parent’s Guide to Instagram here and visit ReachOut.com/Parents.
*Survey by ReachOut of over 500 parents and/or caregivers in Australia. Survey was nationally representative by gender, state, and remoteness status. Survey was conducted in May and June 2021.
