Indeed, one generation breaking the loop can support the next. Perhaps the antidote to social media is regularly sharing with your children: it doesn't matter what Alice or Bob think of you, ignore them and do what you enjoy most with this gift of life.

I appreciate the sentiment, but question how realistic this is. Social media is where my kids interact with their peer group. By the time they hit their teens "sharing with dad" can't compete with that. I still try but I don't expect to have the power to break the cycle.

I'm not a dad, so these are but grains of salt. What I meant was not that you have the power to force your children out of social media - they're gonna do what they want. More a lead-by-example life where you present an example to them of a life (a social one) that is enhanced by not reacting to what Alice and Bob think. They may see it as out-of-touch. They may change their minds years later. Or not.

So you can break yourself out of the loop. And maybe your kids will be inspired by it. Or maybe it skips a generation.

It's funny how I see parents complain about their children's social media use/phone addictions when I see them doing the exact same thing they're talking about before my eyes. Like you're literally playing on your phone right now and you tell me you don't like your kids doing that all the time - come on.