Serving As A Good Example

In class we had to answer one of four questions and the question I had dealt with parents monitoring their children's activity on social media. The responses that were given in class from research surprised me because I disagree with what the internet had to say about the idea. The responses included following their children on social media, checking their phone, checking history, etc. However, I think parents should serve as an example of how to behave politely on social media instead of monitoring their activity. Growing up, most children unintentionally develop the philosophy of "monkey see monkey do". If children observe their parents saying bad things or posting rude comments, then their children will think it is o.k. to do that because that is what they see at home. But if parents behave modestly and politely on social media, the children will most likely pick up that attribute because that is what they see. I think children and teens should develop their own understanding of what is good or what is bad to say on social media and, if need be, let them learn if they make a mistake.