Social media has been around long enough now, more and more research suggests youth exposure to social media has few, if any, benefits.

One local mental health executive is picking up on this. Tony Kirkman is the Executive Director of the Piatt County Mental Health Center and is diving deeper into the topic and is finding there's strong evidence that kids and social media are just not a good mix.

One thing Kirkman encourages is parents to model the behavior they want from their children. He indicates if mom and dad are on the phone all the time, kids will likely do the exact same.

For parents who want to regulate what a child is consuming, he encourages doing so and remembering that while a child has their right to privacy, you are the parent charged with protecting them. 

Kirkman says while no parent is perfect, kids are very receptive to their behavior. 

Get more information on all things Piatt County Mental Health Center by visiting piattmhc.org or follow them on Facebook.