Research: Parents concerned about social media

Mental health service ReachOut Parents has released new research showing that around 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 on social platforms.

Following this new research, ReachOut Parents has partnered with Instagram Australia to launch a new ‘Parent’s Guide to Instagram’.

The nationally representative survey of over 500 parents and caregivers in Australia* found that parents’ top five concerns about their teens’ use of social media were: bullying, exposure to inappropriate content, unwanted contact or grooming, sexting or sharing nudes, and privacy concerns.

The Parent’s Guide to Instagram is a practical handbook which provides parents and carers with information about the platform’s safety features. Experts from ReachOut Parents have contributed tips for parents, such as how to start a conversation with teens about staying safe when using Instagram.

Jackie Hallan, Head of Service Delivery at ReachOut Parents, said the guide is a practical tool to help parents navigate safety on Instagram with their teens.

“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,” Hallan said.

“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 Parent’s 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 also 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.”

Josh Machin, Head of Policy for Facebook and Instagram Australia, said 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 wellbeing of young people on our platforms. Parents play a key role in guiding teens’ online experiences, and today’s research shows they need more information to ensure those experiences are safe and positive,” Machin said.

“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 for further information.

*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.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Sondem