We Need to Talk Social Media
Whether your athlete is on social media or is considering it, I offer a few tips to help them (and you!) preserve some peace of mind.
Happy Friday before Labor Day! In my other professional world, the NFL, today is notoriously utopian for a late news dump. We’ll see what happens.
Meanwhile in the youth sports world, things are supposed to temporarily slow down before the grind of the fall sports season escalates. A weekend without games, trainings, without worry on how to fit it all in. Ahhh. Youth sports professionalization has, of course, stripped the Labor Day sanctity for some families. For example, a certain family may be leaving shortly to drive at least 4 hours in holiday traffic so their son can play a baseball tournament in a less-than-ideal location. That’s just an example, though. Hopefully most of you are doing something chill and fun before the shit gets real.
For those with an extra chill weekend, could you possibly spare 30 seconds to send Good Game to a friend? Word of mouth, especially for an independent venture like this newsletter, is the world’s greatest marketing tool. Thanks so much, I really appreciate the support!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how and when our youth athletes should utilize social media to form their athletic brand. Or if they should utilize it all. I’ve scoured research papers, various experts and random bits on the internet searching for universal guidance only to find there is none. One paper published in 2020 by the International Association for Communication and Sport titled, Social Media Education Provided by National Governing Bodies of Sport: An Examination of Practices for Youth Olympic Games, hit all the potential pitfalls.
Lowered self esteem
Exploitation
Addiction
Posting before thinking
Of course, this research focused on Olympic-caliber talent who had clear potential benefits with social use such as marketing deals and general brand building. Most of our kids are not future Olympians. Nor are they the next “Baby Gronk,” a giant 10-year-old football player with 329,000 IG followers.
Social media is almost a given for would be collegiate athlete recruits in 2023 as a tool for following and connecting with the right accounts. But what about younger athletes? It’s a lot murkier. There is a very unofficial consensus that 13 is the right age for athletes to utilize social media. Puberty is generally doing its thing then, thus the snapshot of who they are and might become athletically is more legitimate at that point. But really, there’s no right or wrong age to open an account. I know a 6-year-old athlete with social, and a high level 15-year-old without social. It’s up to parents to decide if it would behoove their young athlete to have an Instagram or TikTok account showcasing a couple (or many) of their athletic feats. Different families have different objectives in this crazy world of youth sports.
That said, I’m here to offer some tips on social media usage for athletes and families that want to take the plunge. Moreover, I’m hoping it will spark a conversation among all of us. Please feel free to share your perspectives, tips and cautionary tales. This social stuff is tricky, the more thoughtful discussion, the better.
Full disclosure: My older son, age 12, has had an IG account for a few years. It’s only recently become more active. My younger son, age 9, has no social of his own but is periodically allowed to make silly YouTube videos on my husband’s account.
Make a social media plan with your kid
Sounds simple, but before signing up for an account, have a conversation as a family about social media usage. What are the objectives? How frequently will you post, and what are the parameters on content? How often can your kid look at their account? Do you want them having social apps on their phone? Write down and have your kid sign it.
Keep it parent-monitored
Until you are fully confident your kid can run their account without it clogging too much of their time, without it impacting their psyche, and without them saying something inappropriate or contrarian that could haunt them later, run the account. Make it clear in the bio that it is a parent-managed account. And definitely keep it private. Hopefully that will be enough to fend off most of the creepers.
Think quality, not quantity, when it comes to followers
I’m sorry, but if your athlete’s whole objective with social media is to get as many followers as possible, please don’t utilize it yet. It’s not that having a lot of followers is problematic, but the focus should really be on connecting with the right people. That may simply be friends or fellow athletes. Or perhaps it’s connecting with regional coaches and clubs to stay up-to-date on their happenings. But getting tied to a follower number is a slippery slope that can be devastating on your kid’s mental health.
Makes sure your kid presents themselves as a student-athlete. not an athlete-student
Whether your athlete has 10 followers or 10,000 matters not. Having any audience is an opportunity to make it clear that academics matter. That young athletes shouldn’t be one-trick ponies. If your kid is a frequent poster then amid the athletic highlights, show an academic achievement award or a picture of a science project. They should set an example on social media that is hopefully reflective of their real life.
Make sure your kid presents themselves as a team player
You and your kid get to select their social media “brand.” Of course the account will largely be about the account’s namesake; yet the opportunities to use the caption and hashtags for promoting teamwork or shouting out a coach are endless.
Don’t be overly braggy
No one wants to see post after post of your kid bragging about themselves. Drop the highlight, say something quick, and let others decide if your kid’s save was really OMG THE MOST INCREDIBLE SAVE EVER.
Some young athletes use social to have an easy highlight reel for tryouts or even guest playing opportunities. Posting a series of braggy posts about the one at bat you didn’t strike out all weekend is akin to a heavily touched up photo while online dating. Sports ability or appearance, the truth will prevail IRL.
Just don’t do it
I admittedly feel weird writing this entire post because of the heavy ramifications of kids and social media merging. For a lot of youth athletes, having a social media account can be fun, harmless, and actually useful for getting on the radar of others. But for so many it is perilous and unnecessary., Again, it boils down to you and your kid’s objectives. If there’s any doubt, stay away.
Have social media check-ins
If you’ve taken the plunge, make sure to check in with your kid on a frequent basis. For some athletes, especially the ones in single digits, the parents truly run the accounts and the kid is largely unaware of any social activity. But if your kid is involved in any way – even if it’s your 8-year-old asking if they got any new followers this week – please take stock. It’s crucial to make sure having a social media account is not corroding their psyche in any way. If it is, again, get out.
Thanks again for the support, and enjoy the long weekend!