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It’s true, ten-year-olds aren’t supposed to be on social media. They aren’t supposed to leave cereal bowls under their beds either. And yet, here we are.
Yes, your kid may still — for now — be outside the grips of Snapchat, TikTok, and Insta, but the YouTube celebs have got their attention, and there are probably a few things to consider.
When LEGO polled kids between 5 and 12 about their career aspirations, vlogger/YouTuber beat out teacher, musician, athlete and astronaut. Social media’s having an impact on your child’s life, and it’s a good time to talk about what that really means.
Start Here
Did you ever ask your parents for sugar cereal after hearing it was magically delicious? How many X-ray glasses and/or shrivelled sea monkeys did you have by age 8? Kids are easy to sell to, and now they get sold to irl and in the metaverse. It’s natural, then, that your kids may be connecting more stuff with a happier life. That’s worth deconstructing – why do we need money? Is money for stuff? Experiences? Security?
And, what happens if you buy a lot of stuff? Do you, say, run out of money?
Get This
Rihanna sued her accountants in the 2010’s after almost going bankrupt from overspending. The defendant responded by saying, “was it really necessary to tell her that if you spend money on things, you end up with the things and not the money?” Sure, it seems obvious that spending more money leaves you with less of it. But, if you leave money out of the discussion at home, you may find your kid learning money lessons the hard way.
Keep Going
With full-grown adults giving into the allure (and the embedded ads) of fancy living and frictionless buying on social media, it can be hard for your perfect child to know how to make the right moves. Take some time to talk through online protocols. No snap purchases. Suggest they run all posts by you. Help them understand, really understand, that whatever they put up on social may follow them around For Life, and can affect everything from job prospects to earning potential. (Even if they grow up to be a TikTok celeb…)
