My Love-Hate Relationship with Social Media – And Why It Matters for Our Kids

I have a confession to make.

For someone who runs a community about digital balance, I spend a lot of time on social media. LinkedIn, to be precise. It’s essential for my work, for networking, for growing my business. In many ways, it’s a necessary evil—one I justify because it’s “professional.”

Instagram? That’s another story. I deleted it. Well, mostly. I’ll reinstall it if I need a recipe or want to check in on family photos, but I’m acutely aware of the pull. It starts with an innocent search for a dinner idea and suddenly, I’m watching a stranger’s morning routine in the French countryside or analyzing an interior designer’s perfectly curated living room. Rabbit hole, meet me.

But here’s the thing: my nearly 14-year-old daughter doesn’t have social media. She isn’t allowed it. Not yet. And that decision isn’t just about protecting her from the dangers we all know are out there—it’s about something more fundamental. It’s about leading by example.

I can’t tell her social media is addictive while I’m mindlessly scrolling. I can’t expect her to be present if I’m half-listening while double-tapping posts. And I can’t encourage her to build confidence in herself while I fall into the comparison trap of highlight reels and filtered realities.

This is the hard truth for parents. We can’t influence our kids to have a healthier relationship with technology if we’re not actively working on our own.

Are We Practicing What We Preach?

We talk a lot about screen time for kids. About how much is too much, about what age is appropriate, about whether we should allow them access at all. But how often do we hold up a mirror to our own habits?

Are we checking emails at the dinner table while telling them to put their phones away?
Are we posting on social media about “being present” while missing real-life moments?
Are we endlessly scrolling before bed, then telling them screens disrupt sleep?

It’s easy to focus on their screen habits because, frankly, it’s harder to look at our own.

The Parent Paradox: Digital and Disconnected

Here’s what I’ve realised. We live in a world where being online is, in many ways, unavoidable. Whether it’s for work, social connection, or convenience, digital is deeply woven into our lives. But the paradox is that the more connected we are online, the more disconnected we can become from the people right in front of us.

And that’s the challenge we face as parents. We don’t just need to set boundaries for our kids—we need to set them for ourselves.

For me, that has meant:

✅ Keeping social media off my phone unless I have a specific reason to use it.
✅ Setting clear “offline” hours, especially in the evening.
✅ Leaving my phone in another room when I’m spending time with my daughter.
✅ Being intentional about how and why I use social media—asking myself, Is this adding value, or is it just a distraction?

And you know what? It’s hard. It’s a constant work in progress.

But if we want to raise kids who aren’t dependent on validation from likes, who can sit with boredom instead of filling every gap with a screen, and who can build real relationships beyond a digital persona, we have to show them how.

The Debate We Need to Have

So here’s my challenge to you—what does leading by example actually look like for you?

If you expect your kids to manage their screen time, how are you managing yours?
If you don’t want them on social media yet, are you modeling a balanced relationship with it?
If you don’t want them reaching for their phone first thing in the morning, what’s the first thing you do?

This isn’t about guilt or perfection. It’s about awareness. About accountability. And about making sure we’re not asking our kids to do something we aren’t willing to do ourselves.

Let’s talk.

What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to practicing what you preach?

What boundaries have you put in place—successfully or not? And what needs to change?

Let’s be real. Let’s be honest. And let’s figure this out together.