Mental Health Advocate Urges Parents to Be Mindful of Social Media Influence on Children
By: Solomon Nartey Tetteh
Mental health advocate Kwame Baffoe Amoo has cautioned parents to pay closer attention to how their own behaviour on social media, especially TikTok is shaping the attitudes and habits of their children.
Speaking on the Business Breakfast show on Zed, Mr. Amoo expressed concern about the growing trend of children imitating viral dance patterns and online behaviours, even when they do not personally own mobile phones. He noted that many children are being exposed to these trends directly from activities within their homes.
“Kids who don’t have mobile phones are now being introduced to these trends because of what they see at home. When mummy or daddy is in the house setting up a phone, dancing towards a tune and calling the kid to join, the child learns from that,” he explained.
He emphasised that parents often underestimate the influence of their actions, assuming that because certain behaviours do not affect them negatively, they pose no risk to their children.
“The kids learn from what the parents are doing. If the parent wants to set a clear rule, then he or she has to be the best example for the kid to follow,” he stressed.
Mr. Amoo warned that the absence of firm boundaries at home creates challenges that become evident in public settings. He recounted instances where children perform advanced dance routines at social events despite not owning mobile devices, an indication that such behaviours are being absorbed passively from adults in their environment.
“The parent is setting that page, setting those examples, and doesn’t see anything wrong with it. But the fact that you don’t see anything wrong with it means you may be instilling something negative in that young one,” he said.
He also cautioned adults against the excessive use of social media, noting that spending hours browsing content can normalise behaviours that children readily imitate.
Mr. Amoo urged parents and guardians to model healthier digital habits and establish guidelines that protect children from unintentional exposure to inappropriate or premature online trends.
“Parents must set the boundaries. If they fail to do so, the consequences will be felt by the children” he said.
