Social media was created to connect people but it is having some unexpected consequences for our mental health, especially in children and adolescents. With 45% of children reporting being online constantly and another 44% reporting frequent social media checks a day there are some things that both parents and children should know about how to use social media safely.
New research is showing that social media use – when left unchecked – can increase rates of depression and anxiety in youth and creates a fear of missing out and an opportunity for online harassment.

Today, I am excited to have two experts on the topic to share their knowledge with us.

Bailey Parnell is the CEO of SkillsCamp and was named one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women. She has had a TEDx talk on mental health and social media use with over 2 million views and has earned a masters degree on the topic in the academic field. In this episode she shares her 5 steps to safe social media use.

We are also joined by Dr. Meg Seymor. Dr. Seymour received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Michigan and is a Senior Fellow with the National Center for Health Research in Washington DC. Her work focuses on the intersection between physical and mental health. She is an author of their recent literature review on social media and mental health in young people.