Social Media
Why Every App Has a For You Page Now
Almost every app your kid uses has stopped waiting to be told what to show them. It decides for itself now, and what it's watching is how long they stopped on something, more than anything they liked or followed.
It learns from what they stopped on
The biggest thing these apps go on is how long somebody stopped scrolling, and that counts for more than any like or follow. So if your kid pauses on something upsetting just because it shocked them, they've asked for more of it without ever choosing to. That's how a feed can fill up with upsetting stuff in a week, even if your kid never searched for any of it.
Why two kids see different apps
There's no one version of TikTok or Instagram or YouTube. Your kid and their friend can open the same app and see completely different things. So opening it yourself doesn't really tell you what your kid is seeing, and comparing notes with another mom tells you even less.
What actually changes it
Following and unfollowing barely changes it. What changes it is scrolling past without stopping, hitting "not interested," and clearing out the accounts your kid never picked in the first place. Ten minutes together marking things "not interested" helps a lot more than arguing about the app.
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