I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day

[MineralMan]

123. I'm not sure you could make a ban on using instagram stick for a 15-year-old.

It's always a balance between protecting your child and helping them build freedom and independence, I think.

The social benefits of communicating with a large group of peers, more or less anonymously, are many. The dangers, too, are many.

I'm not a parent of a teenager or of anyone, actually. If I were, I'd probably consider having my own anonymous account on platforms my children used. I'd also know my children's screen names. But, I wouldn't interfere with their communications. Instead, I'd watch the conversations of others on similar threads to the ones your children might be part of.

Then, I'd do what I was talking about earlier - call out dangerous posters who treat others with disrespect or misogynistic posts. Not in any thread my own child was participating in - I'd avoid the appearance of shadowing her. However, if I found that someone with a screen name there was harassing my child, I might keep an eye on that screen name in other conversations and speak up as an anonymous peer.

A delicate balance, again. But life's full of delicate balances, it seems.

Now, I don't use instagram. Not at all. Nor any of the other media that is primarily used by adolescents. I don't relate to that age group. If I had children in that category, however, I would be interested and would see what the media were like and keep an eye on it, if not directly on my child.

I'm sure what I'm saying will be unsatisfactory in some way, but that's what I'd do if I were in a position to do that.