I have instituted a seeminly strange rule in our house. HistoryBoy must spend at least 10 minutes on social media. Yes, you read that right. He HAS to. Someone said to me OMG! Why? Isn't he addicted to it already? No, not really...
Now he has social accounts. He asked my permission and I helped him set them up because he really wanted them. He honestly rarely uses them. I think he wanted them simply because other kids his age had them and would talk about them.
SO, I am making it mandatory that he checks in with his friends on Facebook (or whichever social media he prefers... NON YouTube) everyday for at least 10 minutes. (Think about it, that's not really a lot!) I want him to interact, laugh, connect, and realize that the Internet is a place he can explore (within the confines of the parental controls I provide) and I will help guide him to hopefully help make his day to day interactions easier.
Before you say, that interacting in real life is not the same, realize that I know that, but he needs to be guided in these social worlds, both real and online. If he can navigate one, it is my job to help him use those skills to learn to navigate the other. Right now, as he is just finding his legs in the real world, he can't be unaware of social media. He would stand out more by NOT knowing how these sites work. He knows their names but he needs to be aware, be able to interact and successfully navigate all the murky waters that lie ahead for him. This is one more tool he needs in his belt to do that.
As with most children with ADHD and Asperger's, he has a love/affinity for all things technology BUT, as in real life, he is not social within its confines. He will watch YouTube video after YouTube video about whatever catches his fancy or read article after article on his current obsession, but he does not interact with others. (Except for Skype once in a while with HyperGirl...)
Now he has social accounts. He asked my permission and I helped him set them up because he really wanted them. He honestly rarely uses them. I think he wanted them simply because other kids his age had them and would talk about them. 
SO, I am making it mandatory that he checks in with his friends on Facebook (or whichever social media he prefers... NON YouTube) everyday for at least 10 minutes. (Think about it, that's not really a lot!) I want him to interact, laugh, connect, and realize that the Internet is a place he can explore (within the confines of the parental controls I provide) and I will help guide him to hopefully help make his day to day interactions easier.
Before you say, that interacting in real life is not the same, realize that I know that, but he needs to be guided in these social worlds, both real and online. If he can navigate one, it is my job to help him use those skills to learn to navigate the other. Right now, as he is just finding his legs in the real world, he can't be unaware of social media. He would stand out more by NOT knowing how these sites work. He knows their names but he needs to be aware, be able to interact and successfully navigate all the murky waters that lie ahead for him. This is one more tool he needs in his belt to do that.
Great Idea! I make my son text a peer a few times a week. He would also just watch YouTube and Memes all day.
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