Cyber Safety

Cyber Safety Hub

The Hub includes expert advice on the most pertinent cyber safety issues and frequently asked questions around platforms like TikTok, Fortnite, Instagram, and more. There are app reviews with age and safety recommendations, a range of guides and resources to help ensure healthy boundaries around screen time and gaming, and step-by-step instructions for using parental controls and filtering out inappropriate content.

How to get Help with Qustodio as a Parent 

This video provides parents with a practical guide for how they can get help with their Qustodio Parent tools.

Body image and online validation

Growing up in an era of online validation can cultivate an unhealthy body image. Here's how parents can help.

Children today are growing up in an era of selfies and social media where the way they feel about themselves is often influenced by the number of ‘likes’ they get on their online posts. The media have long bombarded us with unrealistic pictures of celebrities and models, and as parents, it can be challenging to help children cultivate a healthy attitude towards body image when the images admired and aspired to in magazines and on television are often photoshopped and airbrushed to an unnatural perfection, that’s impossible to replicate in real life.

Given this, the rise in popularity of digital photo enhancement should come as no surprise, and it’s now common to see online images of people who have been so digitally altered they no longer resemble their actual appearance. Teens upload filtered selfies and wait to be validated with likes and reactions, leading to increased anxiety and pressure. Image enhancement tools (photo filters) are now the norm, but they’re having a significant impact on children’s self-esteem. In some extreme cases, young people have even propositioned cosmetic surgeons to create the AR (augmented reality) version of themselves they see when using image enhancement filters.

The good news is that we’re starting to see change with a rise in celebrities and influencers posting ‘unfiltered’ photos and leading fashion brands beginning to use models with more realistic body shapes and sizes. There’s also a growing conversion away from the pressure to conform to the media’s influence on beauty ideals, and an increase in the conversation surrounding positive body image and its effect on mental health and overall wellbeing.

How body image is shaped

Body image is primarily influenced by traditional and social media, our peers, and our family. Their combined impact within our society is so strong that we usually form a firm opinion of how we look to the world at a very young age. Children, in particular, are extremely vulnerable to external validation, especially as they transition into adolescence and start to look to the influence of their peer groups to be liked and accepted. A recent study showed that children as young as two years of age were sensitive to the way others felt about them and would actively alter their behaviour to receive a positive reaction. Consequently, it is our responsibility as parents to ensure the messages our children receive are well intended and informed, and promote good self-esteem and a positive body image.

How you can promote positive body image

Monitor your child’s social media habits from the onset. At the very least, you should know which platforms they’re on and be able to talk to them openly about their social media use. Look for changes in behaviour: Some of the main red flags are mood swings, comparison to others, being unusually withdrawn, altered eating and sleeping habits, depression, and repeated ‘selfie’ scrutinisation. An excellent way to open the conversation is to ask your child if they know anyone who struggles with body image and online validation, what they think about it, and how they could help them.

Encourage your child to try and keep their social media use to daylight hours. From a mental health and wellbeing point of view, evenings are the worst time of the day to engage in social media. This is when the prefrontal cortex (the rational brain) becomes less alert, making it more challenging to regulate the amygdala (the emotional brain), so consumption during this period could result in poor decision-making and heightened emotional responses, potentially triggering negative feelings. Adolescents already have a challenging time regulating their emotions because their prefrontal cortex is ‘under construction’ until around the age of 25.

How to talk to your child about body image

In an age of social media, it can be challenging for young people to go against popular peer conventions. Start talking to your child about social media and its impact on self-esteem early and often. Avoid commenting on other people’s physical appearance, and openly discuss the negative impact of altering images with filters and digital enhancements. Encourage positive role models that are not based on looks. If your child is struggling, consider role-playing scenarios to build their confidence when dealing with complex social situations and to help them understand and empathise with others who may also be having a hard time with their body image.

Learn more about wellbeing resources. 

Reference: https://johnxxiii.onlinesafetyhub.com.au/parent/blogs-articles/body-image-and-online-validation