We hope to take the role of a clinician/therapist and provide empirical evidence supported information for parents on attachment. The goal is to illustrate what the different styles are, what they look like during infant development, and when attachment could possibly become problematic. Parents raising a newborn baby, especially for the first time, most often experience a lot of stress and concern over how to best support their child’s well-being. Clear and evidence-based information about when to be concerned about their parent-child relationship and when not to be will help address some of these concerns. The goal is to build a secure attachment, which gives a sense of a “secure base” and a mutual relationship of sensitivity and care. Some babies develop an anxious attachment, where they are frightened by separation from their caregiver and continue to show signs of distress or anxious behavior once they return. Others have an avoidant attachment, where there is a sense of insecurity and internalization of emotional/ distress. Disorganized attachment is when there’s a disrupted or disturbed sense of security, with odd or ambivalent behavior towards their caregiver after an absence (Keil. 2014).

Attachment between an infant and caregiver is both a biological and social process. It is put in motion by human evolution, as a baby would not survive without an attentive and caring guardian. It is then perpetuated by “nurture”, or environmental, social, psychological, and other forces outside of human biology. The core of attachment is how well a parent can read and respond to an infant’s cues and needs. Some babies have a more difficult disposition, which can make it harder to understand and satisfy their needs, but a secure attachment can be formed no matter the temperament. In fact, children who have been traditionally been viewed as ‘at-risk’ for behavioral and mental differences such as ADHD and anxiety can actually thrive even more than their peers in the right environments (Dobbs, 2009).

This infographic speaks directly to common major concerns of parents and is an inaccessible and simple language. The visual element also lays out our message in an appealing and eye-catching way. All of these elements should communicate effectively to parents.

Social media gives kids a feeling of belonging. The opportunity to take part in something bigger than themselves is an obvious plus, but the negative side effects demand parents attend to setting limits, too. With so much misinformation and attention on youth and technology, we want to provide adolescents with research-based guidelines on healthy social media use. It is an amazing tool, as social media platforms provide an unprecedented amount of opportunities to connect, communicate with, and learn from others. It can have an especially positive influence when used to “maintain and enhance relationships that started in the real world,” (Keil, 2014). Not only this but well-designed digital engagements also have cognitive benefits. For example, games that increase in a metacognitive challenge can supplement memory and learning skills for children. This is an example of active positive engagement in technology, which should be the goal of our media use. But social media can also be harmful; extensive use can interfere with sleep and physical activity, reinforce unrealistic body standards, and provide opportunities for cyberbullying (Viner et al., 2019). This is active negative use of media, where it is engaging but the consequences are detrimental. Because of FOMO (fear of missing out, or anxiety that an exciting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by social media) and compulsive social media use, many people keep their phones within reach of their bed. One way to build good sleep hygiene (habits that promote or inhibit sleep) is to keep it across the room to reduce the urge to check it in the middle of the night and avoid using technology an hour before bedtime (Tandon et al., 2020). It is also helpful to limit privacy settings on personal accounts, which will reduce opportunities for negative comments. Limiting social media use can improve self-image and quality of life, so take the time to build hobbies outside of media (Viner et al., 2019). Avoid spending too much time in passive engagement, which would be watching TV or mindlessly scrolling through apps. Though not necessarily harmful, having an ‘activity diet’ where screen time is balanced by other activities produces the healthiest outcome. You never know what new activity like cooking or sewing could strike your interest. Explore!

In Erik Erikson’s stages of development theory (1963), adolescents in stage five are currently trying to resolve their identity versus confusion conflict. During this developmental stage, youth are gaining a sense of identity by exploring different social groups, including through social media. They are highly influential to situations around them, so when adolescents create a habit of going on social media constantly, it can have a negative impact on their self esteem, mental health, and identity confusion.

Using memes is a fun way to explain these concepts while still using research-based information. Everyone knows we have a social media use problem, but what are realistic ways to approach it? We provide simple, easy ways to start the journey towards healthy usage. Adolescents are tired of being lectured about their technology use, so the tone of our message is intended to be helpful instead.