How Do I Encourage Them to Use Social Media for Encouragement, Not Mockery? 

Parenting Perspective 

Social media can easily become a space where teasing, mocking, and highlighting the mistakes of others is normalised as a form of humour. Children may join in with this behaviour without fully realising the pain it can cause. By teaching your child to consciously use their social media presence for encouragement instead, you are helping them to build empathy, spread positivity, and strengthen their friendships in truly meaningful ways. 

Explain Their Power to Uplift or Harm 

Begin by helping your child to understand the responsibility that comes with their online voice. You could explain, ‘Every single comment you post has the power to either make someone’s day feel a little brighter, or a little heavier. You always have the power to choose which one it will be.’ This gives them a sense of personal responsibility and perspective. 

Equip Them with a Vocabulary of Encouragement 

Provide your child with a toolkit of short, uplifting phrases they can use as an alternative to mockery or teasing. You could suggest they write comments like: 

• ‘Well done on that, it was great!’ 

• ‘Keep going, you are really improving!’ 

• ‘I really liked how you tried your best in the game today.’ 

These small but powerful words can boost a person’s confidence instead of tearing it down. 

Lead by Your Own Positive Example 

The most effective way to teach this is to model it yourself. Let your child see you using your own social media to leave positive and encouraging comments. Your own example of writing ‘Great teamwork today!’ on a group photo, or ‘I am so proud of how my friend achieved this,’ will teach them more than any lecture. They will learn the most from what they see you write. 

Build Their Critical Awareness 

You can train your child’s ability to recognise the difference between harmless fun and hurtful mockery by looking at examples together. You could scroll through a social media feed and ask, ‘Which of these comments do you think are encouraging? And which ones might hurt someone’s feelings?’ This helps to sharpen their ability to discern the emotional tone of online content. 

Acknowledge and Praise Their Positive Contributions 

When you notice your child has posted something uplifting or encouraging, be sure to highlight it. You could say, ‘I really liked how you wrote such a kind comment on your friend’s picture. That was a wonderful way to spread positivity.’ This positive reinforcement shows them that their kindness is seen and valued. 

By actively coaching, modelling, and affirming their good choices, you help your child to see that social media, when used with kindness and intention, can be a powerful tool for good. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam strongly warns believers against the sins of mockery and backbiting, while at the same time greatly encouraging them to uplift and support one another with kind and gentle words. Social media is a powerful modern arena in which we can practise these timeless Islamic teachings. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Hujuraat (49), Verse 11: 

‘ Those of you who are believers, do not let a nation ridicule another nation, as perhaps it may be that they are better than them…’ 

This verse is a direct and clear reminder that mocking others is forbidden, as we can never know a person’s true worth or status in the sight of Allah. It teaches us to always default to respect. 

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2586, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘The example of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is like the body; when any part of it suffers, the whole body responds with sleeplessness and fever.’ 

This beautiful hadith teaches us that believers are supposed to be a source of comfort and support for one another, not a source of harm or mockery. To encourage a friend online is to act as a healthy part of the body of believers. 

When children learn to use their social media presence for encouragement, they are actively practising the virtues of mercy, empathy, and social responsibility. Over time, they will come to see that their digital kindness is not just a matter of good manners, but a direct and meaningful reflection of their faith, spreading a little light in a world where words can travel so far and so fast.