[searchableguy]

> I'm very worried about how my kids will be able to handle it in their teens.

The biggest factor after education would be the ability to be non conformist. That requires you have some leverage in the group. If you don't, you will quickly become target for exclusion and bullying.

In school, it's not easy to avoid bad apples and many parents are/will be negligent. So you will have few students using social media and trying to influence others into it even if the current situation changes.

Teens also want to prove themselves and the dynamics of social media provides cheap validation. You need intrinsic motivation about something to fight it as well as support or acknowledgement from adults.

Recommended resource: https://www.privacytools.io/

[jtwaleson]

Thank you! I already notice how very different my three kids are, and being non conformist is going to be easier for some than for others for sure. The link you've added seem mostly for software tools that block social media, I think fostering a resilient / non confirmist personality is going to be the toughest challenge.

[searchableguy]

> The link you've added seem mostly for software tools that block social media

There are articles, communities linked on privacy, surveillance, etc issues.

I think the first step would be to self host your own social media and other stuff (next cloud?) with the family. Although, not every kid will be interested but I presume at least one would be curious in your case. Start it as a hobby on a weekend and invite them. Get s raspberry Pi and it will be a fun tinkering experience.