Recommendations and Research for Grades 6-8

General Guidelines

Evaluate is your teen ready for a screen device?

A link to a downloadable checklist for both parents and children to review is included above

Evaluate how you will navigate school routine with devices

A link to a resource on considerations parents can have going into school year is included above.

Have foundational boundaries and expectations set before a child is given access to their own device

A link to resource on 5 foundational boundaries that can help maintain a balance for wellbeing is included above.

Recent Research

Pew Research Center completed a survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 conducted Sept. 18-Oct. 10, 2024. that asked teens how often they use five platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

Overall, 73% of teens say they go on YouTube daily, making YouTube the most widely used and visited platform we asked about. This share includes 15% who describe their use as “almost constant.”

Older teens are more likely than younger teens to use each of the platforms we asked about.

Notably, teens ages 15 to 17 are more likely than those ages 13 to 14 to use Instagram (72% vs. 43%) or Snapchat (63% vs. 44%).

Differences are more modest for platforms like YouTube, which most older (92%) and younger (87%) teens use.

These links are provided for reference only. South Shore Digital Wellness is not a healthcare provider providing advice nor is it responsible for content maintained on other sites. If you have a suggestion for a reference or resource site that you think our users would find helpful, please contact us