The word “selfie” has been added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is obvious, online interactions have made a significant impact on modern culture. Social media is here to stay– whether people like the selfie culture or not. It’s not going away so it doesn’t do us much good to say it’s negative. “We are now creating a generation that has a voice and expects that voice to be heard.”

Developmentally, selfies make sense for children and teens. And for the most part, they are simply reflections of their self-exploration and nothing more. “Self-captured images allow young adults and teens to express their mood states and share important experiences. As twins and teens try to form their identity, selfies serve as a way to test how they look, and therefore feel, in certain outfits, makeup, poses and places. And because they live in a digital world, self-portraits provide a way of participating in and affiliating with that world.

But even though taking selfies is a part of growing up digital, that doesn’t mean all self-portraits are okay. Like all behaviours that children and teens test out, parents should help them to learn the limits and guidelines for which types of pictures are acceptable and which are not. It’s not likely that pre-teens and even adolescents think beyond seeing the images as a type of developmental skin that they try on and shed, for example, but they do need to be aware that their actions may have consequences.

Social interactions via technology and is working to understand online communication. Older generations engage on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but heavy social media use is attributed to teenagers and young adults. The selfie has become a modern obsession with teens. While older generations may not relate to the selfie culture, as a parent, it’s important to understand the phenomenon and your teen’s social environment.

A selfie is no different from arriving at a job interview looking your best. The photos intend to present yourself in your best light, and with social media, young people have the power to do so whenever they want. Teenage years involve forming their identity through socialising, and in today’s world, social interactions can occur through smart phones. In fact, social media helps many introverted adolescents make connections they may not have otherwise. Selfies contribute to the online person as teens create for themselves.