20 Jun Social Media: safety & tips with the new ‘Parents Guide to Instagram’

ReachOut Parents is partnering with Instagram Australia to launch a new ‘Parents Guide to Instagram’.

Mental health service ReachOut Parents has released new research showing that approximately one-third of Australian parents are concerned about their teens’ use of social media and are unsure about the role they can play in helping to keep their teens safe on social media.

• 36% of parents feel unsure about the role they can play in keeping their teens safe on social media.
• 32% of parents aren’t quite sure how to use the safety controls on social media.
• Almost 40% of parents aren’t quite sure what to do if their teen had a safety issue on social media.
• 40% of parents said they need more support to understand social media in order to talk to their teen about it.

“ReachOut has partnered with Instagram on this guide because we know that social media plays a huge part in the lives of so many teenagers across Australia.” said Jackie Hallan, Head of Service Delivery at ReachOut Parents,

The nationally representative survey of over 500 parents and caregivers in Australia,* found that parents’ top five concerns about their teens’ use of social media were: bullying, exposure to inappropriate content, unwanted contact or grooming, sexting or sharing nudes, and privacy concerns.

The ‘Parents Guide to Instagram’ is a practical handbook that provides parents and carers with information about the platform’s safety features. Experts from ReachOut Parents have contributed tips for parents, such as how to start a conversation with teens about staying safe when using Instagram.

“This new research shows that 32 percent of parents aren’t quite sure how to use the safety controls on social media and almost 40 percent of parents aren’t quite sure what they would do if their teen had a safety issue on social media.” said Jackie Hallan.

“The new ‘Parents Guide to Instagram’ responds to these research findings by providing practical and useful information and tips. The guide explains the range of safety features and also helps parents bridge that potential gap between the information and talking to their teens about it.”

“The more parents and teens that are aware of the safety features that are available on Instagram and actually use them, the better.”

*Survey was nationally representative by gender, state, and remoteness status. Survey was conducted in May & June 2021.

Download the Parent’s Guide to Instagram here and visit ReachOut.com/Parents.