Impact of Social Media in Childhood
Debate#2: Social media is ruining childhood
The presence of social media in our lives is ubiquitous. TikTok, snapchat, instragram, facebook, twitter, and youtube these have become integral part of the daily life. Especially for the kids. They express themselves, connect with their friends and explore interests. Through social media children can access information. It helps them to participate in various events, social movements and also develop digital literacy.
While social media offers a plethora of benefits, including connectivity, learning opportunities, and creative outlets, there is a growing concern among parents, educators, and psychologists about its potential negative impacts on childhood. The question arises: is social media ruining childhood?
Unrealistic Beauty Standard Ruining Self Esteem
Social media offers information which is unfiltered and can be confusing for young generation. One of the most concerning aspects of social media is the pressure to conform to unrealistic standards of beauty and lifestyle. Kids witness unrealistic examples in social media and believe it’s true. Young girls browsing social media and see perfect pictures of models. They think women are supposed to be flawless, perfect skin, skinny and in good shape. Which is not. Naturally we grow with the flaws. As a doctor I have seen many teens who starved and got addicted to pills to lose weight. It was really frustrating. I have seen boys taking steroid and use unsupervised and non-prescribed objects to build muscle. They are running to become perfect to everyone’s eye. Self confidence gets drained because of social media and its twisted beauty standards.
Cyberbullying and Online Harassment
Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying can take place anytime and anywhere. The study shows cyberbullying is more prevalent among children ranges from 12 to 18 years old. The data show that adolescents lack awareness or confidence that anything can be done about cyberbullying. Children suffers from severe mental trauma, depression and anxiety after online harassment. Children are not only victim of cyberbullying, sometimes they also play a significant role as a perpetrator . Survey shows that 3 out of 4 children participated in cyberbullying.
Cybercrime and Online Frauds
The anonymity of social media leads to harassments, breach of privacy, and scams. I only thought children are the victims of cybercrime, but they can fall into a trap and become a part of the crime as well. Unless we supervise our kid’s involvement on social media. Personally I believe we need to rise awareness about the negative aspects of social media to our kids and also educate them. Teens often use various dating apps and fall into a trap. That can lead to sexual molestation, rape and more harmful consequences. Financial scam is more popular. When I was planning to come here in Canada, I was trying rent a place. My friends aware me not sending money beforehand. Even when I went to open an account in bank, manager explained me about online hackers.
Safety Concerns
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Children and teenagers often lack of judgment to realize the complexities of online privacy. The are negligent and unknowingly share personal information, location, and pictures that can put them to risks such as identity theft, predation, and exploitation. Despite the existence of privacy settings, many young users are not mindful about who has access to their information. Eventually leading towards dangerous situations.
Social Media Addiction
Social media is designed to be addictive. I am not proud to say that but I spend hours in scrolling newsfeed on social media like instagram and facebook. This endless scrolling, notifications, and algorithm-driven contents engage children for hours on end which lead to significant distractions from schoolwork. It also has negative impact on children’s behaviour. They exhibit apathetic behaviour to extracurricular activities, and even face-to-face interactions with family and friends. The addictive nature of social media can also interfere with other health problems like neckache, backache, headache, sleep patterns, obesity, and constant fatigue. In turns poor academic performance.
I have a little nephew and he is only 6 years old. I am always concerned about his wellbeing and safety. I know we can not protect our kids all the time from everything. I want him to have all the great things and possibilities. I believe no parent wants to meet the same fate as Ollie’s. Parents, educators, and policymakers must work together to create a safe environment where children can enjoy the benefits of social media while minimizing its risks. By fostering a responsible and balanced approach to social media use that can help learning process rather than diminishes the childhood experience.
Hi Bithy!
Your blog provides a comprehensive overview of the benefits and potential harms of social media on children. It effectively highlights the issues of unrealistic beauty standards, cyberbullying, online fraud, safety concerns, and addiction, stressing the need for awareness and supervision. The personal anecdotes and statistics enhance the argument, making it relatable and credible. Overall, it’s a well-rounded piece that balances the positive aspects of social media with a critical view of its dangers, urging responsible usage and awareness. Thanks, Bithy for this amazing blog!
Hi Bithy
Thanks for your blog post. It provides detailed Information on the benefits and negative aspects of how social media influences childhood. My attraction to this post is your comment on unrealistic beauty standard ruining self-esteem. This is very concerning and i don’t think organizations marketing this products give warnings to young children about the effects of this products. Just like you said, it is very important to teach children how to responsibly use social media.
Great post.
The marketing system of beauty standards to children is insane. Whether intentional or not, that is a HUGE debate, there are some serious repercussions for our youth, like you discussed in the post. After grade 9, at least in Saskatchewan, it isn’t mandatory to take a health/phys ed class where a lot of these themes are taught. When things typically get worse is in the teenage years, as they consume more media and go through puberty. More education and coping techniques could be huge for this age range. Just because we explain this to kids when they’re younger doesn’t mean they’re going to remember this or practices it when the time comes.
Hetterley
Your insightful post on the impact of social media on childhood highlights the multifaceted effects it can have, both positive and negative. The main takeaway for me is the crucial role parents and educators play in guiding children towards responsible social media use and fostering healthy online habits.