Mental Health advocate tasks parents on children’s social media usage

A Mental Health Advocate, Veronica Ezeh, has called on parents to regulate the kind of content their children consume on social media.

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Mrs Ezeh, also the Chief Executive Officer of Adicare Rehabilitation Home, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

She noted that this step is important to curtail the increasing rate of social vices, lamenting that the advent of social media had brought another dimension to children’s exposure.

According to her, it exposes children to platforms where they can commit social vices and crimes without the knowledge of their parents.

She explained that in the era of social media, a child does not need to leave the house before committing crime or engaging in unlawful activities as was the case in the past.

According to the mental health advocate, parents must know where their children go, know their friends and what they do.

She urged parents especially fathers, to spend time every week with their families in order to bond and know each other better.

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Mrs Ezeh said many parents spend their time making money and building careers that they forget about proper upbringing of their children in the digital age.

“Parents and their children should try to hang out at least once a week to fraternise and rekindle the affection for each other,” she said.

“This type of communication will go a long way to bring happiness to members of the family and is capable of tackling mental health challenges. And let there be laid down rules in every home; which must be strictly followed.”

She lamented that social media/entertainment industry have not helped in curbing anti-social behaviour among youths, saying that displays on these platforms have misled many youths into committing crimes.

“I think the entertainment industry has not been helpful in curbing anti-social behaviours among the youths.

“The entertainment industry portrays anti-social behaviours such as smoking hard drugs, indecent dressing and sexuality as normal lifestyles.”

“The sad part of this is that most of the youths are looking up to the artists as role models; but instead, they are misleading them. Most of the ‘musical shows’ engage in hard drugs as a good indulgence; but, many of these acts lead to mental derailment,’’ she told NAN.

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Mrs Ezeh noted that the government could help by regulating the contents and products of the entertainment industry to curb the rate at which youths learn and indulge in some of the social vices.

“I believe government can help with what comes out of the entertainment industry because showing of young ones smoking ban substances openly is not a good idea. Smoking of hard drugs is rampant in the society now because that is what everybody can view via explicit pictures from our entertainment industry,” she said.

“We need to get to the point where we care for ourselves, especially as mental health is concerned; we need to raise responsible children and youths for the future of our dear country.”

(NAN)