It can be unsettling to allow your youngster to explore the world of social media. Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives in the digital era. For kids or young adults, living without Facebook, Instagram, and all of their predecessors is practically unimaginable, which leads to a harmful social media impact on youth!
Parents, educators, mental health specialists, and academics are concerned about how these platforms may affect growth rates and overall wellness as these children grow up in a culture where everything from homework on laptops to messengers like Snapchat (or similar platforms) is prevalent.
In a Pew Research poll, 36% of kids admitted to using social media applications excessively, while 54% acknowledged that quitting would be challenging. According to research, scientists like Dr Fratantoni, the brain’s reward network drives us to check social media constantly to get the dopamine rush that comes from a new “like,” “view or “friend request.”
The media’s influence on youngsters has progressively increased. Children now have easier access to media thanks to its availability and the decreased cost for Indian families. Early learning readiness, educational enrichment, chances to see or take part in debates on social issues, exposure to the arts through music and performance, and entertainment are all positive outcomes. Sensationalising violent behaviour, being exposed to explicit or covert sexual content, promoting unrealistic body images, portraying bad health habits as desirable behaviours, and being exposed to persuasive advertising aimed at youngsters can all have negative consequences.
In the discussion that follows, we will discuss the impact of social media on children, as well as its advantages, drawbacks, and role for parents.
The advantages of social media:
Social media is essential for your children in numerous ways that will benefit them later in life. Now let’s discuss the advantages of letting your kids use social media. The following are the advantages of social media for children:
- Communication and socialisation
- improved learning possibilities
- Useful information
- Creative collaboration
- Peer-based educational strategies
- Increasing empathy
- Refreshed outlooks
Social media drawbacks:
Many people believe that social media has more negative effects on kids than positive ones. The following are some detrimental effects of social media on kids:
- Cyberbullying.
- Web predators.
- Too much information is exchanged.
- False advertising
- Viral trends that are risky
The part about parents:
By urging families to address the fundamental issues of bullying, popularity and status, depression and social anxiety, risk-taking, and sexual development, parents are in a unique position to educate families about both the complexities of the digital world and the difficult social and health issues that online youth experience.
The fact that social media is here to stay means that we must discover strategies to ensure that it fosters rather than retards our children’s growth.
Parents can take the following actions to reduce their children’s use of social media:
- Limiting social media use helps safeguard the mental health of teens, especially those who are still relatively young. These restrictions will help them in the long run, even though they might fight them at first.
- Following social media restrictions, many social media sites require users to be at least 13 years old to register for an account. If your child wishes to create a social media account before this age, you must explain the reasons for the restrictions.
- Start a conversation with your youngster about social media by talking about it. Determine how they feel about using it—do they love using it, or does it cause them to feel uneasy and worried? Make an effort to teach your teen about social media and make sure they are aware that what they post or say there may have real-world repercussions.
- Set an example for your child by putting your phone away during meals, setting time limits for using social media, and having designated times when you aren’t using technology. Your child will imitate your actions and establish a more positive relationship with social media.
- Talk to your child about who they are following and why as you assist them in curating their feed. Encourage them to unfollow accounts that make them feel bad and assist them in following people who serve as positive role models.
- Limiting social media use can safeguard the mental health of teens, especially those who are still relatively young. These restrictions will help them in the long run, even though they might fight them at first.
- Following social media guidelines, many social media sites require users to be at least 13 years old to register for an account. If your child wishes to create a social media account before this age, you must explain the reasons behind the restrictions.
Read Also: The importance of sports in a student’s life
Conclusion
In order to ensure that there is a positive impact of social media on children and our lives, as with anything else, finding a balance is crucial. Children, however, also learn by seeing our behaviour, so it’s important to put your words into action. We should set a good example for our kids as parents. They can have the most beneficial experience from it this way. However, make sure you’ve taught your child about the potential risks as well as the benefits of the internet before letting them explore it
