The Parenting Problem No One Prepared Us For: Social Media

Should kids be on social media? Or should we ban it entirely?

In this episode of Misperceived, we tackle one of the most complicated parenting questions today: social media and children.

Parents everywhere are struggling to figure out the right approach. Should kids have smartphones early so they can learn how to navigate the digital world? Should parents strictly monitor and limit access? Or should children stay off social media entirely until they’re older?

The truth is—there’s no simple answer.

As a social scientist who studies the mental load, I’ve heard from countless parents who say that monitoring their children’s digital lives is one of the biggest sources of stress and cognitive burden they face today. From worrying about online safety and misinformation to navigating addictive algorithms and social pressure, parents are being asked to manage something previous generations never had to deal with.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why social media creates a huge mental load for parents
• The challenge of raising kids in a digital-first world
• Why government bans on social media for teens may not work
• How algorithms and addictive content affect young people
• The growing problem of misinformation and polarization online
• Why parents cannot solve this problem alone
• What a society-wide response to social media addiction might look like

We also talk about what it means to help kids become responsible digital citizens, how to have honest conversations about what they see online, and why this issue requires solutions from families, tech companies, schools, and governments—not just parents.

If you’re a parent, educator, or anyone trying to understand how technology is shaping the next generation, this episode is for you.

Follow Leah: @prof.leahruppanner

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