Is social media ruining childhood? This is a very difficult topic because it is approached from all sorts of different angles, depending on who is talking about it. For some they argue that of course social media is ruining childhood. The common argument stems from the point of view that, “When I was a kid I was always outside or doing something. Now kids are only on their phones!” So of course that is a blanket statement and cannot be cast over the entirety of children. Also, just because someone’s childhood (or my childhood for instance) is different than yours, does not necessarily mean it is bad. Looking at the history of the world each generation’s childhood has been drastically different than those before and we’ve historically always been afraid of technology. The world evolves and things change. Maybe something to consider now that our current students are cringing at and making fun of the music that we think is awesome (Side note: If you’re in Regina, I can’t stand what has happened to the radio station 92.1. If I have to listen to another late 90’s or early 2000s song I’m going to snap).
Social Media is designed to help people stay connected. It certainly does that. Some misuse it and use it to hurt people or “cyberbully”. Yes that is an issue. What if we just took away social media from the people that want to do that? That would automatically fix the problem, right? I argue it might not be as affective. That person that was the one bullying could just find a different avenue to do it. Why don’t we try and help that insecure individual who feels that they have to hurt someone to feel better about themselves?
I used an analogy last post, so here’s another: If a child hits another child with a stick, take the stick away, right? Why don’t we just do a better job of teaching the child not to hit people and deal with things in a better way? (Please do not relate this to the issue of gun control. Sticks are just sticks. Guns are designed to kill. That is their use). Or the analogy of if there are are babies floating down a river, how do we help? Make a dam to catch the babies? Pick out each baby one by one? Or we could just go find out why there are babies floating down the river and stop that? Shout out Dr. Michael Cappello for that latter analogy. I relate this idea to that of cyberbullying. People that don’t know how to deal with their emotions and issues will find a different way to let it out or “bully”. Bullying was a thing before social media and will continue to be a thing if it somehow ever does.
Here’s an example of the double edged sword that is social media. Who remembers the unfortunate story of Amanda Todd ? A teenager who was bullied and extorted online. She committed suicide in 2012. I was in the 10th grade when it happened. The power of social media led to her death. She tried to reach out, via social media, and the video she created absolutely blew up. This caused discussions around the world of the power of social media, how to use it appropriately, and where the issues are. Is the sacrifice of a child worth everyone realizing how messed up things can get? I don’t know and I don’t know if I’ll ever know.
On another note many have claimed that Social media leads to depression. An article titleĀ The Kids are Alright argues that this is not the case and most studies done have not had the appropriate evidence to conclude this. As stated in the article,
“They studied nearly 600 adolescents and more than 1,000 young adults over two and six years, respectively, and found that social media use did not predict depressive symptoms but that depressive symptoms predicted more frequent social media use among adolescent girls…We know that problematic smartphone use may as likely be a
result of mental health problems as a cause, and that calls for a different set of solutions.”
This adds to some of my earlier analogies? What is the root of the children’s issues and how do we address those, so that maybe they don’t know rely on social media so much? Did I do this study? No. Do we know if this will be the same case in 20 years? No. It does offer a different perspective at looking at social media as the issue though.
Be kind to each other.
Hetterley
Hi Hetterly
What a piece. Truly, the use of social media is viewed from different perspectives and I also agree that some adolescents and adults turn to social media because of depression. However, there is need for adolescents especially to be trained on how to use social media because a lot of them end of getting into troubles that could have been avoided.
I can appreciate your conclusion. Social media isn’t going anywhere…. so now what? I sometimes wonder if it’s redundant to compare to societal practices of the past as we simply don’t go backwards in time. As technology advances, we really must advance with it in a productive and SAFE way.. and I think adults need to take the lead with this!
Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking post, Greg! Your reflections on the impact of social media, particularly the analogy about addressing the root causes of cyberbullying rather than just the symptoms, resonated deeply with me. Your balanced view, considering both the potential harm and the need for better education and support for young people, offers valuable insights. The call to be kind and address underlying issues is a powerful reminder for all of us. Keep sharing your thoughtful perspectives!
Great perspective Greg. I agree with you when you discuss if we just take social media away students’ are going to find other avenues to hurt people. Instead, as mentioned throughout the debate that week, we need to be finding ways to face the problem head on to see change. The question that I am left with is how do we get everyone on board? Is that a realistic goal to have all parents on board when it comes to online safety? Maybe an awareness and teaching to parents is a place we have to start.
Thanks for this wonderful piece George. Indeed social media is a double edged sword, and it’s usefulness/disadvantage can be viewed from the perspective of those using it. Everything in life has its advantage and disadvantage; and social media is not an exclusion. However, I think creating more awareness on the side effect of social media on children and involving parents to take responsibility might go a long way in addressing the negative impact of its use. Thanks for sharing your thought on his issue.