Recently, the American company Meta, owner of Facebook, agreed to pay $18bn for social media content that allegedly harms kids. The amount is for an out-of-court settlement in one court case, and as everyone cites it as reason to threaten more lawsuits against Meta, it makes one ponder. This is more so as no one talks about what common sense demands where raising kids is in focus. No one mentions the place of effective parenting and I find it alarming, to put it mildly. It seems there’s this self- censorship to not mention the role of parents among people who discuss social media impacts on kids. Yet, I think emphasising parenting should be the first and more effective approach, even as Meta tidies up its end to any extent it can. Discussions in public spaces make it seem like parents should be responsible for everything about their kids except the digital devices they place in the hands of kids. Where blood, bond, and love play a part, I don’t think any external entities can take on the role of a parent and do it better than the parent.
On TV shows, anchors and guests avoid talking about the role of parents in guiding their kids in this matter. They quickly drop it and move away as though it’s a hot plate whenever anyone mentions parents, a phenomenon I think is deliberate and hypocritical. What some want to hear is what contributors are saying regarding parents, kids, and the effects of social media on them. Mentioning the positive impact on kids of a parent’s firm “No” has suddenly become a taboo. Does a medical doctor avoid talking about what a sick patient needs to hear in order for them to heal? What should be common sense in this social media challenge is being sidestepped. Who should regulate access to digital devices in the home? Government? Owners of social media platforms that aren’t in the home? There are workers on those platforms who, knowing the effects, guide their own kids appropriately just like makers of some processed foods neither eat them nor give their kids. As for a section of the public, their parental responsibilities belong to someone else. I belong to the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria that places great emphasis on how parents raise their kids. Effective parenting is one way we pass on our values to kids, and many other Nigerian tribes testify to the outcome they see.
