RENOWNED child psychologist Professor Audrey Pottinger is making a clarion call to parents to be more intentional in shaping the minds and mental health outcomes of the youth, especially in the age of social media.

Professor Pottinger, who was addressing scores of Kiwanians at Kiwanis Club of New Kingston’s prayer breakfast recently held at Stella Maris Pastoral Centre, said though social media is a common parental worry, it is not a bad thing.

She said children and adolescents run the risk of becoming obsessed with social media as they “cognitively have not mastered the skills to filter out or compartmentalise information as adults can”, hence the need for adults to be “intentional and provide supervision and restrictions of their social media use”.

Pottinger said apart from the downside of becoming obsessed with social media and the potential for inappropriate content exposure, another reason for monitoring children’s and adolescents’ screen interactions is that social media platforms provide easy access for youth to compare themselves with others and embrace whatever standards social media considers ‘good’, oftentimes leaving them feeling inadequate, left out, anxious, or doing whatever it takes to get ‘the likes’.

“Studies on excessive social media use suggest it is resulting in people-skills deficit. Have you noticed how many of our students are increasingly uncomfortable and anxious, even inept in holding a conversation with others? And God forbid if they are asked to present in class! The anxiety is ramped up. We have to be intentional in guiding social media use in our youth so it enhances their lives rather than creates problems,” she said.

Pottinger also pointed out that another natural and normal occurrence that can become a source of obsession for youth is their interest in sex and things that can be sexy, such as music, dancing, clothing.

She said interest in sex is natural from pre-teen years but can readily become a fixation if we are not intentional in how we guide youngsters.

“So, some caregivers will share information with the child that is inadequate because we still are hesitant to talk about sex. Or when we do, we focus on protection and diseases. But we should also be talking about what is appropriate sexual behaviour, healthy self-esteem and sexual involvement, respect and sex, and your expectations of them and sex.

“When the conversation is inadequate or non-existent, teens will not know how to filter out other information they are going to receive, resulting in them hyper-fixating on sex. They can also become sex-obsessed if they have been inappropriately exposed or when they lack supervision. Another thing that can contribute to being obsessed is when we fail to provide opportunities for them to develop interests in extra-curricular activities. These activities can help them re-route or re-channel the increased sexual energy that typically accompanies puberty. Now when we fail to shape their minds about sex then we are also shaping their sexual, reproductive, and mental health outcomes,” Professor Pottinger said while urging parents to be intentional in how they parent.