Social media is a way to share information, ideas, and thoughts and connect with the whole world. Digital tools like Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube are amazing for learning new skills, updating knowledge and connecting with society. However, social media also has a negative side that can control the natural growth of youth.
I followed the documentary “The Sextortion of Amanda Todd” which highlights the dark face of social media. Amanda Todd was a victim of cyber blackmail and social exploitation. The teenage girl had a dream of becoming a singer. She used digital tools to showcase her talent to the world and posted her singing videos online through You Tube and TikTok. Sadly, at a young age, she lost her life due to online harassment and sextortion. Her painful and tragic life journey made school authorities, teachers, and parents take initiatives to protecting and aware the youth from cybercrime.
I believe that schools play a vital role in spreading the awareness of social media’s drawbacks and protecting the student’s social life. Teachers can use digital tools in classroom learning by focusing on teaching digital literacy and encouraging the students to make a healthy and positive relation with digital world. Today’s youth are highly engaged with social media, sharing everything they do in their daily lives on social media handles like Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok. So, this lifestyle increases the risk of bullying and bad commenting. Therefore, it is the educator’s duty to make the students aware the negative side of the digital world. They can understand and observe the misleading concepts and information. Moreover, the teacher discussed mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and Depression caused by the overuse of social media. These little steps can change the students’ lives. They can balance their personal and social life, which enables the learners to be responsible social media users.