Here are five quick tips to make Facebook a healthier environment:
- Make sure your teen knows appropriate times to check Facebook. Hint: During class is not one of them.
- Be sure your teen has a social life outside of Facebook.
- If your teen is starting to spend more time on Facebook than on other things, it's time to have a talk and possibly seek professional help.
- Find extracurricular activities your teen can enjoy that do not involve networking online.
- If your teen is accessing Facebook via a smart phone and it's taking up a considerable amount of time, encourage more limitations, such as only accessing Facebook via a desktop PC.
You can't necessarily tell your teen to just stop cold turkey because that may cause more damage. But setting clearer limits, making more activities available, and having a talk with your teen can go a long way.