Today’s American teens are logging onto social media sites as if it were their daily job. More than half of them spend nearly five hours a day on social platforms, according to a [source not specified]. They scroll through thousands of videos across apps like TikTok, YouTube, and [another app not specified] for an average of 35 hours per week and send hundreds of snaps, messages, and videos to friends—and in many cases, strangers as well.
Joe Gagliese, the CEO of the social media marketing and creator agency Viral Nation, saw the signs. His experience in the social media sphere, along with his extensive personal use of social media (he prefers watching [something not specified] over TV, which he doesn’t own), opened his eyes to the horrors of the internet and made him reluctant to let his three children, aged 5, 6, and 14, freely explore the digital world.
Gagliese’s company works with hundreds of creators, yet he aims to shield his kids from the environment they create. He said part of the problem is the huge social media knowledge gap between kids and parents. He believes that if parents knew what he does, they’d also be restricting their kids’ screen time.
“These parents don’t realize that their kids sent 5,000 TikToks or snaps in the last 6 days,” Gagliese told [a publication not specified]. “They’re unaware of the world their kids are living in.”
As parents worldwide wake up to the dangers of social media, some governments have taken steps to block kids from accessing it. Australia has [done something not specified] regarding social media use for teens, and other countries like France and Denmark are [planning something not specified] to follow. This debate has reached the U.S., with Florida enacting a ban and others attempting to impose bans, although [the situation is not fully described].
Gagliese isn’t the only one with such parenting practices. Other tech CEOs like Palantir cofounder [name not specified] and YouTube’s cofounder [name not specified] are taking a similar stance to Gagliese, trying to protect their kids from the perils of the internet.
His strict rules
For Gagliese’s kids, their media consumption consists of highly moderated, educational content that is strictly balanced with offline activities such as athletics, art, and playing outside. He and his wife allow his 5- and 6-year-old children short bursts of screen time per day, about half-hour sessions, to avoid developing addictive social media habits. He personally checks the content they view, ensuring it’s educational and not just clickbait or AI-generated junk.
That daily half-hour of screen time is about two hours less than what the average child spends on the screen. Kids aged 8 or younger spend about 2.5 hours per day on devices, according to a [source not specified]. And one in five children aged 13 and under use social media for four hours or more a day, according to social media company Aura.
His 14-year-old daughter’s media intake is also limited to educational materials. Gagliese allows things like YouTube videos for 9th grade math help. “As a dad, I’m not comfortable with her level of maturity yet to let her explore the full range of what social media offers.”
Gagliese acknowledges that his strict social media restrictions could potentially make his daughter an outcast, noting that many of her friends are regular TikTok and [another app not specified] users. But he said that at her age, the dangers of social media use far outweigh its benefits. “The benefits aren’t worth the risks,” he said.
A parent’s responsibility
To be clear, Gagliese doesn’t support state-sanctioned bans on social media. After all, it’s his business. In fact, the CEO views social media as an amazing tool if used correctly by the right people. He认为将监管的责任推给科技公司是不合逻辑 的。“Facebook不是来扮演父母角色的，”他说。
Instead, he said the responsibility lies with parents, and he encourages other parents to consider the same rules he has set for his kids.
“We need to be better parents by stepping in and setting better boundaries and moderation,” he said, “and not letting it become an accepted part of their environment.”