Your home is your sanctuary. And for kids and teens, it’s especially important to have a safe haven where they can feel comfortable, away from the pressures they can encounter at school and social gatherings.

Just when your kids are beginning to formulate their own opinions and live the values learned from parents and peers, the internet is waiting to challenge them.

Study after study has linked social media use to the prevalence of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression in teenagers. That should come as no surprise to parents who have entered parenthood in the social media age. Social platforms like Instagram, Discord and Facebook can be like a school playground on steroids, where bullying, envy, peer pressure and other pitfalls can fester.

Are the people your kids and teens chat with online in apps like Instagram, Discord and Snapchat friends or foes? BFFs or bullies? Sometimes relationships can change quickly, especially during the adolescent years when our kids are learning about themselves and the world around them.

Parenting is difficult in the digital age, when a world of information—both helpful and harmful—is available at your children’s fingertips. But there is a silver lining.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: TikTok and Snapchat are popular with kids and teens because, for the most part, parents aren't there. You simply can’t be everywhere, and you shouldn’t be everywhere. But kids and teens still need guidance in navigating their way to adulthood.