Is social media ruining childhood? I don’t think I have a definitive stance. But if you held a gun to my head and said I had to choose I think I would say it isn’t ruining childhood.
As I reflected on this week’s debate, I found myself coming back to one thing – what are we defining as “childhood”? Britannica defines childhood as a “period of the human lifespan between infancy and adolescence, extending from ages 1–2 to 12–13”. If we go by this definition, we would be arguing that children from about ages 2 to 12 are negatively impacted by social media. If this is what we are arguing, I don’t think I agree. However, when we start talking about 11 to 18 years I do believe the conversation begins to shift. Maybe I am just getting caught up in semantics here.
Are there negative impacts of social media use? Absolutely. I think this is an undeniable fact. Studies have shown that teenagers are negatively impacted by social media in several ways. For example, the Childhood Mind Insitute notes several including:
- Social media is an indirect form of communication so children are not developing social skills.
- Social media increases the risk of cyberbullying and imposter syndrome.
Studies have also shown that social media is shortening children’s attention spans. According to Queens University Journal, “Young people used to eat up books, but now, the amount of children who read for fun has declined from 35 percent to a meagre 17 percent. The reason for this is simple and unsurprising: social media and our increased electronic device usage”.
While these are all convincing arguments, I don’t think I am entirely swayed to believe that this is ruining childhood. I look back on my childhood and can pinpoint several instances where these negative consequences have played out in my own experiences without social media.
For example, the days of standing in the checkout line at Walmart and looking at the magazine are not lost on me. Reading headlines like “Is <insert name here>” pregnant?” or “How did <intest name here> lose 15 pounds in two weeks” negatively impacted my perception of myself far more than any Instagram post ever did. I might be comparing apples to oranges here, but I guess my point is that childhood is a minefield of negative influence with or without social media.
And as pointed out during this week’s debate, there are positive aspects to social media use. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics,
- Social media allows children to stay connected with family and friends.
- Social media enhances learning opportunities.
- Social media allows children to access information that they may be embarrassed to ask a parent for (i.e., health concerns related to puberty).
At the end of the day, social media is here to stay. This means that, whether we like it or not, it will inevitably become a part of our children’s everyday lives.
[…] many of the same principles that guide healthy development and inform effective parenting will apply when supporting youth in their online activities and experiences. If this is true, then the good news for parents and policy makers is that existing evidence-based interventions and strategies may look different but will still be effective in supporting youth in the digital age.
– Candice L. Odgers and Michaeline R. Jensen
I am not going to deny that there are negative aspects to children having early access to social media, but I don’t think keeping it out of their hands entirely is an effective solution either. I think in this situation working with social media rather than against it will yield better results.
Social media is ruining childhood: All students (including the debaters) should read the articles chosen by the two debate teams (listed below) and should also refer to the articles embedded in the debate description (above, under today’s activities – no need to read them all, but take a general overview) and compose a blog post reflecting on the articles as well as the debate itself.
Thanks for the great blog post! You have raised some great points, and I agree with your closely that we may not be able to get rid of social media completely, so instead need to find ways to support children in navigating this. The only struggle I have with this idea, is how do we a teachers/parents/adults get on the same page to supporting students and children navigate the complexities of social media. If we are not all supporting students, how will change occur?
Thanks for the comment Sydney. As educators, I believe we need to do our best to support kids in our classrooms to develop positive digital literacy skills regardless if it is being supported at home. But this does have holes in it. I teach high school and my biggest question would be where do we teach digital literacy? You would need to teach it in a course that all students require so that doesn’t leave many options. Does digital literacy fit into a math course? Or does it get taught in English Language Arts classes? I think the real change would need to come from the top down with the government and the Ministry of Education making it a requirement in secondary classrooms.
Great blog post! You did an excellent job highlighting both the positives and negatives of social media use among children. It’s clear that social media can enhance learning and connectivity, but it also comes with risks like mental health issues and shortened attention spans.
I especially appreciated your point about the importance of moderation and guidance. Parents and educators must be involved and help children navigate the digital world safely.
Keep up the thoughtful writing!
Thanks for the comment Allysia!
I’m glad you brought up the semantics because it’s a really good point. Childhood is so broad. The way a 5 year old goes about their day is going to be totallty different than a 15 year old, and as such social media is going to affect them differently.
Also I loved the video you shared at the end of your post (I wish I’d found it during debate prep), especially when they said “The idea is really to help kids identify and understand what is energizing for them, and what is draining”. I think that really summarizes the whole topic. Social media can go both ways. Helping kids figure out the parts they actually enjoy and the parts they don’t is potentially the difference maker for ruining/not ruining childhood.
Thanks Joshua! I think it would be a disservice to not acknowledge that there is a difference between a 5-year-old on social media and a 15-year-old on social media. In my opinion, it completely changes the argument. I know quite a few elementary-aged children and very few of them have social media. If they do, it is usually TikTok, which of course could present issues, but it seems that my friends, their parents, are doing a pretty good job of mitigating any risks.
I love that you went for the definition. It makes sense to me that the younger group is referred to when discussing childhood. I look to my daughter, who only uses WeChat as her social media source. Her friendship group is her family and two pre-approved friends. She uses her app to communicate with her grandparents because both sets are so far away, as are her friends who move away from our city. She is in the middle of that 2 – 12 range and certainly feels no ill effects from having the apps. However, we see the negatives arise once we move into that teenage range. However, is that childhood? Or is it teenagehood?
I am glad I wasn’t completely out to lunch with the definition! It really was a big sticking point for me in this debate. A 5-year-old and a 16-year-old are SO different.
Great Post Mariah!
Your post was wonderful and I can see that you truly put a lot of thought into what you are doing. Defining what is ‘childhood’ is important and I absolutely understand that effects a social media use in children differ from effects for teenagers. You expressed some good concerns about the downsides, such as the risks of cyber-bullying and imposter syndrome, to be honest, I heard it first time.
As you correctly stated it, social media will remain relevant as the evolution could just bring changes to this platform. That’s the reality today, and it is about helping kids to achieve the right balance and not be obliterated by the adversities they face.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thanks for the comment Kavita! I have heard of imposter syndrome before, but I never really understood it or looked into it. I think it is a really interesting concept and I wonder how it will continue to impact young adults, but I also wonder about adults as well. I am aware of all the ills of social media, but I have definitely caught myself comparing. I wonder what this does to me!
Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking post, Mariah! Your balanced approach to the impact of social media on childhood is both insightful and well-articulated. I appreciate your distinction between different age groups and how social media affects them differently. Your personal anecdotes and the emphasis on teaching digital literacy are especially compelling. How do you think we can better equip parents and educators to support children in navigating social media responsibly?
If I am being entirely honest, I think change begins from the top down. In this case, I think that the government, and therefore, the Ministry of Education, needs to incorporate digital literacy into curriculum. It is really easy to get caught up in the whole idea that “someone else will teach it” especially in high school.
This is probably my favourite post that I have read. One thing I noted in my post… or maybe I changed my mind on writing about it… was also about the magazine influence when we were little. I think you raise some great points. One thing I am curious is what grade you teach? I totally get, understand and agree with your idea of those teenage years, but I do have to argue that I am seeing a HUGE impact on kids from 9/10 on. My grade 6s struggle with the social media aspect but also with puberty and it adds a whole other layer (not that being a teenager and in highschool doesn’t add 50 layers), but it does for sure affect them, in my opinion. Again, great post and looking to read more!
I teach high school and I don’t have children. So my perspective of early years is limited, so I am going off my own experiences for sure. I can definitely see social media impacted kids in grade 6. It is such an awkward age (respectfully) and when you are just coming into adulthood if you will its impossible to figure out how to navigate real life let alone the digital world as well.
This is an insightful comparison of both sides of the debate. I agree that social media is ruining childhood. Your tags about “Is ______________ pregnant” are thought-provoking and need to be examined. But there is a need for consensus with children for a balanced perspective on the issue.