Most of us are attached to our phones or tablets and consider them vital for life in 2024. As social media, the internet, and other technologies become more entwined with our professional and personal worlds, the potential for problematic use and technology addiction increases. Parents who try to manage their kids’ social media use know well that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to ensuring that their child or teen has a healthy online experience.

Cases in which social media use rises to the level of addiction are not rare. Addiction to social media is genuine, with a prevalence of around 5%, according to a 2021 study.

The major red flags of technology addiction are continued use of technology despite knowing it has adverse consequences; physical and mental problems (such as sleep deprivation); lying to loved ones about the frequency of using technology; constantly thinking about using; having cravings; and spending tremendous amounts of time engaging with technology.

According to a 2024 study from Pew Research Center, four in 10 teens felt they spent too much time on their phones. In most cases, parents using the word “addicted” to describe their kids’ social media use are doing so in a colloquial, rather than literal, sense and mean to communicate a significant concern about their kids’ behavior online.

Parental controls are an easy way to temper those concerns for many parents. Social media conglomerates also champion using a tech solution for a tech-related problem, going so far as to suggest a legislative framework to require parental controls on app stores. While there are benefits to parental controls, they are not an infallible way to manage the time a child or teen spends on social media or ensure that the content they consume meets the parents’ standards.

According to a recent Healthy Minds poll on technology, social media and mental health from the American Psychiatric Association and Morning Consult, the majority (82%) of parents say they have limited or managed their child’s technology use in some way — most commonly by restricting their total screen time (42%), taking away their device (39%), or using parental controls features (38%).

However, no amount of parental controls or media monitoring software can match the effect of open and honest conversations about social media habits with children and adolescents.

If you are concerned about your kids, build some media-free times into the daily schedule and use those times for family activities. If you notice your kid dealing with pressure to respond to social media posts, talk with them and point out that not every post or message shared with them is critical or deserves a response.

The most effective way to ensure a child or teen has a healthy relationship with social media and other technologies is for the parent to be an active, engaged and fun part of their lives.

Petros Levounis is the president of the American Psychiatric Association/InsideSources