On the Radar: Social Media Sweet Spot, Blocking YouTube Shorts and Tea, Best TV Shows to Binge Watch

Study Suggests Time Spent on Social Media Has a Sweet Spot

What? According to the study published in JAMA Pediatrics, Australian teens and tweens with “heavy” social media use experienced lower well-being than adolescents who only had “moderate” use. However, nonusers also had lower well-being than their moderate peers.

So What? Australia is one month into its social media ban for under-16s, and while the country’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told EuroNews that she’s pleased with the preliminary results, this study suggests that time spent on social media isn’t always bad.

Now What? That’s not entirely surprising. The longer you’re on social media, the more liable you are to experience its negative side effects. But not spending any time on social media could make your teen feel like an outsider, like they’re being ostracized or left out. So consider how social media affects your child. Too much time is obviously never a good idea. But smaller time increments may help your teen learn to navigate the various apps responsibly.

Parents Will Soon Be Able to Block YouTube Shorts on Teen Accounts

What? According to TechCrunch, YouTube has announced the ability for parents to block or set time limits for YouTube Shorts on teens’ supervised accounts.

So What? This new feature was implemented as part of the Google-owned platform’s efforts to make YouTube safer for adolescent users.

Now What? If your child uses the YouTube Kids app, you’re already set, since the kid-focused platform doesn’t allow Shorts. But if you’ve got your tween or teen set up with a supervised account (read more about how to set up this feature in our tutorial “Parental Controls: YouTube”), you’ll soon have access to new parental controls that will allow you to set custom bedtimes, reminders to take breaks or even limit how much time your child can spend watching Shorts.

The Popular ‘Tea’ App Returns After Going Viral, Then Shutting Down

What? Last summer, the “Tea” app went viral (climbing to No. 1 on the iOS App Store) for granting its exclusively female users the ability to leave Yelp-style reviews of the men they’ve dated, according to WIRED. But the app was shut down after data breaches put those same users at risk.

So What? After shoring up its weaknesses, Tea has now returned, allowing women to once again comment on the pros and cons of the men they’ve dated. And while the app isn’t made for teens, parents should remain vigilant.

Now What? Your daughter could easily learn about Tea through social media or classmates. So it’s important to remind her that while Tea has altruistic motives (to let women know if the guys they’re dating really are who they say they are), it can also be abused by jaded exes. And because of its online format, it can lack the nuance, context and personal experience often required to get to know someone.

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