Dr. Naomi Brown Offers Tips for Parents
ROME, Ga., May 7, 2024 – As a parent, understanding how to guide your teen through the world of social media is crucial for their overall mental health. Dr. Naomi Brown, with Atrium Health Floyd Primary Care Family Medicine in Summerville, shares some practical tips and strategies to help you support your teenager in navigating the complexities of the online realm.
In today's digital age, social media plays a significant role in the lives of adolescents. While these platforms offer a space for self-expression and connection, they also present unique challenges that can impact a teen's mental and emotional well-being.
Have healthy boundaries and open communication
If you have a child under age 12, Dr. Brown recommends holding off on allowing them to use social media until you can cultivate awareness and healthy habits with them. Talk with them about self-monitoring – what's safe versus what's not.
“It's much easier to have boundaries in place before kids have their own social media accounts," Dr. Brown said. “If you have a teen already using social media, it's not too late to have these conversations. Sometimes parents and kids find these conversations difficult, but they need to happen."
She suggests asking kids what sites they visit and how they make them feel.
“You'd be surprised how teens can be so unaware of their own emotions," Dr. Brown said. “Even talking to them about what sites they like and why can be important."
Be a good digital role model
Parents need to be aware of how much time they spend scrolling through their own social media accounts. Dr. Brown encourages families to create a shared goal to set healthy boundaries or guidelines around social media usage.
“If you don't think your teen is watching you, you are mistaken," Dr. Brown said. “Sometimes admitting that you, too, might need to change your behavior makes any concerns you might have for authentic."
Embrace the positives
Social media is here to stay, so it is nearly inevitable that adolescents will dive into that world. Dr. Brown says it's important to keep in mind that social media can have positive impacts, too. The pandemic certainly showed us this by helping to bring people together and connecting people who felt isolated.
Atrium Health Floyd Primary Care Medicine in Summerville is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 706-857-3915 to make an appointment. Virtual visits are also available.
About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd employs more than 3,500 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at three hospitals: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 304-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; as well as Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health – a freestanding 53-bed behavioral health facility in Rome – and also primary care and urgent care network locations throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.
About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, which was created from the combination with Advocate Aurora Health. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is its academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association's Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing $2.8 billion last year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 155,000 team members across 68 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.