During adolescence, teens have a greater ability to start thinking about the world in different and interesting ways. They find new ways of being in the world and of questioning the things that happen around them. Nowadays and thanks to technological advances, social networks and the media help them to achieve a better exploration of the world and get the information they need to position themselves in the world.

Networks and social media can give teens a voice and a presence that otherwise they would not know how to have. As long as teens’ online friendships are healthy, social media can give them a good space to give and receive emotional feedback as they experiment with who they will eventually become .

Always with caution

Searching for new ways to see oneself in the world can lead teens to think and question who they really are or where they belong. which they fit in. This can make them feel vulnerable to criticism or judgment from others, something that is quite common to find on the Internet, when other people feel very brave to criticize others from behind a screen.

On the Internet, such as on Facebook, everyone presents the best version of themselves to others, that is why social media make that the comparison between one and the other is almost inevitable, something that can cause r negative feelings in adolescents. This can lead to identity crises in adolescents as they are immersed in comparisons of their daily lives – which are totally normal – with the edited and ‘filtered’ images and lives of other people that present all these images under the false appearance of ‘everyday’.

Reality in adolescence

The key for children to find their world is not to give them the freedom to investigate through the Internet or spend the day interacting virtually through social networks, far from it. The key is to be available to your teens, but without being intrusive. Let go of control and go through the influence.

Whenever you can, let children feel in control of what they are experiencing in their environment and that they are also free to express their opinions and p points of view of the world, even if what they think has nothing to do with what you think or with your perspective of the world. Remember that your children are not you and they do not have to think the same as you… let them surprise you with their own criteria.

The more you show acceptance of what your children are and how they think -even if you don’t always agree with it-, it will be easier for you to nurture good communication and necessary self-acceptance between you. This will limit your children’s need to find acceptance from other people – who in many cases they don’t even know – on the Internet and about exposing themselves on social networks. They won’t need any of that because they will already have you as their guide on his way, which is what he really needs to be able to develop properly.

Social networks can help adolescents find support, comfort and even find an outlet for their ideas, which be able to explore the world creatively. It’s important to give them space to do this, but at the same time you’ll need to be close enough for them to be safe.