It’s one of the biggest parenting calls in this modern world of ours: When do they get access to social media? Juliane Bergmann begins her piece with a story about bullying she experienced as a middle schooler, then explains how it informed her decisions about social media as a parent: “Being bullied was awful enough in the nineties; I count this among my top five worst experiences growing up. But handing middle school children cell phones and social media access has introduced a whole new terrifying dimension. When it came time to decide about social media for my own kids, I didn’t only consider the potential for depression, anxiety, and social comparison. I imagined my degrading experience with the added humiliation of a public shaming that could be streamed and shared. And so I banned social media entirely.” And she doesn’t regret it at all. In fact, her daughter even agreed with her decision, ultimately. Read it and see what you think. Kelly Faircloth, Executive Editor |