Most parents know TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Understanding the impact on their children is another thing.

A new three-part masterclass series by Chardonaé Rawlins is aiming to close that gap and give parents practical tools to better understand and manage their children’s relationship with technology.

The series, titled The Confident Parent in a Digital Age, begins tomorrow with its first live online session, Understanding the Digital Landscape. It will look at how digital spaces are shaping children’s behaviour, emotions and development — and why so many families feel overwhelmed trying to keep up.

“Parents today are raising children in a digital environment that moves incredibly quickly,” said Ms Rawlins, the founder of the wellness organisation Simply Bloom.

“Many families are trying to find the balance between protecting their children online while also allowing them to participate in the social world their peers are part of.”

The child and adolescent mental health specialist has spent years studying the topic. She completed both of her dissertations on children and technology and continues to follow the latest research.

She said that while social media was widely discussed, many parents did not fully understand how it was affecting their children.

“They know about social media, they hear the buzz words like TikTok and Instagram but they don't actually understand the implications that these things have on their children, whether it be sleep deprivation, a change of behaviour from interacting, cyber bullying and whatnot.”

The first session will unpack why screen time can be so difficult to manage — and why it’s not simply about setting limits.

“We often talk about screen time as a discipline issue but the reality is that digital platforms are intentionally designed to keep people engaged,” Ms Rawlins said.

“Understanding how the developing brain interacts with digital design can help parents approach these challenges with more clarity and less conflict.”

More broadly, the series is designed to shift parents away from reactive responses and towards building resilience.

“We haven’t actually given parents the education they need to understand [social media] or guide their children properly based on the empirical literature. I think we're still reactive, in the sense that if your child encounters something like cyber bullying, you quickly take the device away instead of building resilience in them.”

The sessions will cover everything from navigating digital challenges to understanding how early screen exposure can affect development.

“The way the masterclasses are set up, parents are able to handle different negative experiences online, understand how parental controls work and recognise how early screen exposure — even from toddler age — can impact brain development, speech development, cognitive processing and things of that nature,” Ms Rawlins said.

The conversation is not about demonising technology, she added.

“I think that we are so afraid of social media that we forget that it is a positive as well. Think about the pandemic. How did we stay connected to our loved ones, whether on the island or abroad? We used our devices.”

What is important to understand is how constant connectivity can affect young people, particularly during adolescence.

“Adolescence is already a period of significant brain development and emotional change,” she said. “When you layer social media and constant connectivity on to that, it can amplify some of the pressures young people are navigating.”

Guidelines suggest no more than 15 minutes of screen time for two-year-olds. Although there is a two-hour daily limit for adolescents, many teens spend between four and a half to seven and a half hours a day on their devices.

Ms Rawlins said it was not just about how long children were on devices but knowing how they were responding to them — and when to step in.

“One of the biggest concerns we hear from parents is that conversations about devices often turn into conflict,” she said.

“Our goal is to help parents create boundaries that protect their children while also protecting connection within the family.”

She encourages parents to ask open-ended questions and take an interest in what their children are doing online.

“If you see that your child is using a new game, you ask: what's this game? What do you like about this game? Really get into their world. The more that you connect with your child on a healthy level — where you have open-ended conversation and your child has that trust in you — the more likely they'll let you know when things are impacting them online.”

The masterclasses are open to parents of children from toddlers through adolescence, and no previous knowledge is needed. For those who cannot attend all three sessions, there will also be options for one-on-one support and access to materials.

Ultimately, Ms Rawlins hopes they help parents feel more equipped in an area that often feels uncertain.

“It’s designed to help you navigate social media technology with clarity and confidence,” she said. “It’s practical and it's a calm way for you to learn how to navigate these spaces with confidence.”

• Parents interested in attending tomorrow’s session can register here. For more information visit bloombda.com