Back to School Social Media Reset

Written By Alicia Vial

Back-to-school season usually means resetting routines, earlier bedtimes, homework schedules, after school activities and getting everyone out the door on time. But there’s another routine families may want to revisit: social media. Kids’ online habits can change quickly, and so can the platforms they use. A new school year is a good opportunity for parents to check their kids’ privacy settings, talk about their screen time and understand what they’re are actually seeing online.  

We reset almost everything at the beginning of the school year, so it makes sense to include our digital habits. Summer usually comes with fewer routines and often more screen time. Once school starts, kids have homework, sports, activities and earlier bedtimes competing for their attention. This doesn’t have to be about taking phones away or declaring social media “bad.” It’s really about looking at whether the habits that worked during summer still work during the school year. 

Start with privacy and location settings. Don’t assume the settings are the same as the last time you checked them. Look at who can see their content, who can message them and whether they’re sharing their location. Look at what your teen is seeing, scroll through the platforms together. Instagram, TikTok and other platforms have added more protections and parental controls for teens, but parents need to know those tools exist and understand how they’re being used. Don’t secretly conduct an investigation - sit down and do it together. Ask your child to show you how the platform works. You might be surprised at what they teach you. The goal should be opening a conversation, not catching them doing something wrong.  

Platforms have made significant changes in the past couple of years, particularly for younger users. Instagram Teen Accounts automatically place teens into more restrictive settings. Accounts are private by default, there are limits on who can message teens and restrictions on certain types of sensitive content. Instagram also includes reminders to leave the app after 60 minutes and a sleep mode that silences notifications overnight. 

TikTok’s Family Pairing allows a parent to link their account with their teen’s accounts. Parents can set up daily screen-time limits, schedule periods when TikTok isn’t available, manage privacy and messaging settings and adjust some of the content their teen can see.  TikTok has also introduced additional protections for younger teens, including default screen-time settings and nighttime features designed to encourage teens to put the app down. 

And don’t forget the phone itself. Both Apple and Android devices have parental controls that can manage app limits, downtime, purchases and certain content restrictions across multiple apps instead of doing everything individually. 

It is best to explore these settings with your child rather than quietly turning everything on. Explain why you’re using them and decide together which boundaries make sense for their age. 

Parents tend to focus on who their children follow, but the algorithm may be more important. Your child doesn’t need to follow account for TikTok, Instagram or YouTube to continually serve them similar content. Sit down together and scroll through their For You or Explore Page. It gives you a window into what the algorithm thinks they’re interested in.

So what should parents do? Have a 10-minute social media check-in – not a lecture. 

Ask your child three things: 

  • What app are you using the most? 

  • What are you seeing a lot of right now? 

  • Is there anything online that’s bothering you or stressing you out? 

Then look at privacy and location settings together. And make one realistic school-year rule as a family. Don’t create 15 rules nobody is going to follow. Social media isn’t going anywhere. The goal is to help kids learn how to use it thoughtfully and safely.  

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Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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