Preventing Radicalization Through Healthy Social Media Use: A School Psychologist’s Perspective

As a school psychologist, I’ve seen firsthand how the digital world shapes children’s emotional and social development. Social media can be a powerful tool for connection and creativity, but it also carries risks. One of the most concerning is the potential for radicalization—when children or adolescents are exposed to extreme, hateful, or violent content that distorts their worldview and increases hostility toward others.

The good news is that parents, educators, and caregivers can play an active role in preventing this. One of the most effective ways is by strengthening children’s real-world social skills and fostering supportive, in-person relationships. When children feel grounded in healthy communities, they are less likely to seek belonging in harmful online spaces.

Why Real-World Social Skills Matter

Children who lack strong interpersonal skills or feel socially isolated are more vulnerable to online influences. Extremist groups and harmful online communities often prey on loneliness, offering a sense of belonging or identity. By helping children develop skills like empathy, perspective-taking, and conflict resolution, we give them healthier ways to cope with frustration and rejection. Face-to-face relationships also provide balance. Friendships built through school, sports, clubs, and family gatherings expose children to diverse viewpoints and experiences. This variety helps buffer against the “echo chambers” of social media, where only one perspective is reinforced. It is a lot harder to inflict violence on a person if you connect with them IRL (in real life...lingo I've learned from Gen Z).

Practical Strategies for Parents and Caregivers

1. Build strong offline connections

• Encourage participation in group activities like sports, clubs, volunteer programs, or religious/community organizations. If your children are resistant to any of these, give them forced choices (give several options and if they don't choose one, you choose).

• Prioritize family time—meals, outings, and game nights help children feel anchored in supportive relationships.

  
  

2. Strengthen social-emotional skills

• Model empathy and respectful communication in everyday interactions.

• Teach children to name and manage emotions—deep breathing, taking space to be alone, or physical activity can help channel anger in healthy ways.

• Role-play scenarios where disagreements are resolved calmly. Use "I" messages such as, "I feel very angry when you ______" or "When you say __________, it makes me feel very __________"

  
  

3. Monitor and guide social media use

• Set age-appropriate limits on screen time and ensure devices are not used late at night when supervision is harder. More and more research is showing that most social media shouldn't be used until at least high school if not closer to age sixteen.

• Keep computers and devices in shared spaces rather than bedrooms.

• Use parental controls to restrict access to harmful sites, while still maintaining open communication.

• Regularly review privacy settings with your child and talk about what personal information should never be shared. It is likely they know and see more than you think!

  
  

4. Maintain open communication

• Ask children what they’re seeing online and listen without judgment.

• Normalize conversations about misinformation, propaganda, and extremist content—children should feel safe bringing concerns to adults.

• Instead of immediately banning certain platforms, discuss why certain content is harmful and encourage critical thinking. Use the analogy of overall health (e.g., "Just like too much soda or inactivity isn't good for your health, certain content isn't good for your brain").

  
  

5. Be alert to warning signs

• Increased secrecy about online activity.

• Sudden changes in beliefs or an “us vs. them” mindset.

• Heightened anger, hostility, or withdrawal from real-world friendships.

  
  

If these signs appear, don’t panic—but do engage. Express concern, listen carefully, and consider involving a school counselor, psychologist, or community resource if needed.

Final Thoughts

Preventing radicalization isn’t about banning technology; it’s about teaching children to use it wisely while ensuring they are rooted in strong, healthy relationships offline. By nurturing social skills, fostering belonging in real-world communities, and staying actively involved in their digital lives, we can help children resist harmful influences and grow into compassionate, thoughtful adults.

David Krasky is a licensed school psychologist and author of Raising Future Adults, a book for parents and caregivers who want to raise their children to be independent, socially/emotionally healthy people