Social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram are awash in selfies—self-taken photos often posted with the hopes that friends and acquaintances will like the pictures and post nice things.

Of course, that doesn’t always happen, and that can be a problem for adolescents. After all, they often post selfies in the hope of being validated: They want to be assured they’re pretty, smart or worthwhile. “They crave positive feedback to help them see how their identity fits into their world,” says Dr. Robyn Silverman. But to try to get that validation in a forum as unpredictable and potentially mean as the Internet could lead to hurt feelings or a sense of unworthiness.

“Social media is a virtual talking mirror that contains irrelevant voices,” Silverman says. “Parents should help teens pinpoint meaningful sources for validation. More importantly, parents need to reinforce the idea that the most influential voice should come from within.” (Today)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.