Meet the social media CEO who won’t let his own kids on social media: ‘Parents are oblivious to the world’

American teens today are clocking onto social media sites like it’s their day job, with more than half spending nearly five hours per day on social platforms, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. They’re scrolling for an average of 35 hours per week through thousands of videos across apps like TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram and sending hundreds of snaps, messages, and videos to friends—and in many cases, strangers, too.

Joe Gagliese, CEO of the social media marketing and creator agency Viral Nation, saw the writing on the wall. From his experience in the social media sphere, along with his vast personal use of social media (he prefers watching YouTube over TV, which he doesn’t own) opened his eyes to the horrors of the internet and made him reluctant to let his three children, ages 5, 6, and 14, to explore the digital world freely. 

Gagliese’s company works with hundreds of creators who compose the very environment from which he intends to shield his kids from accessing. He said part of the problem is the massive social media knowledge gap that exists between kids and parents. He thinks that if parents knew what he knows, they’d also be cracking down on their kids’ screen time.

“These parents don’t understand that ...