This week’s debate (1 of 2): Social media is RUINING childhood.

As pointed out during the debate a couple of times, ruining is certainly a strong word. It is also interesting thinking about childhood and the biases each new generation holds regarding what makes a “great childhood”; each age group seems to have had it better than the one that succeeded them for various reasons, one being the digitalization of society. A common outlook is viewing today’s children as missing out on what it truly means to be child (spending copious amounts of time outdoors with the neighbourhood kids, only coming inside for a meal or by some other parental request). I have heard many parents of school-aged children now doing the opposite, requesting their children get off of their devices and go play outside instead. But is digital technology, and specifically, social media, truly destroying the childhood experience for the younger generation? Here is what the debaters had to say:

Following the introductory videos, opening statements and rebuttals, thoughts were added to the discussion from classmates. Nicole W. Offered that it is too extreme to say that social media is ruining childhood; Jenn offered the idea that childhood has evolved from what many of us experienced; Mike contributed the important idea that the possible presence of online predators shouldn’t outweigh all the good that social media can allow and that students are already becoming better equipped to deal with social media issues; Gunpreesh talked about addiction, alluding to the developing child brain and the potential susceptibility for it to be more significantly impacted by the harmful effects of social media; Dami noted that digital identities can be curated in ways that real-world identities cannot. There were many other insightful and thought-provoking comments made during the open portion of this debate.

Diving into the readings, both sides of the argument have valid points to offer. In this video, shared by the agree team, Matt Walsh discusses how kids are living out their childhoods in digital worlds and that he’s intentionally chosen differently for his children. In contrast, the disagree team shared this article that highlights several examples of young people using social media to enact real positive change (with some seriously feel-good stories).

As a relatively new parent, this topic has me thinking about what kind of rules/guidelines I will have around social media and tech use for my child once she’s a bit older. The first concern that came to my mind, besides online safety and privacy, is the impact that social media has on cognitive development in children. This led me to a few articles (here, here and here) that discuss some research findings around this topic.

The first article outlines the steps parents can take if they decide to allow their children to use social media to minimize risk and maximize benefits.

The second article I found somewhat by accident; I was googling if and how social media is detrimental to a child’s cognitive functioning, and in doing so, I actually found more reasons why it can actually be beneficial, which surprised me. The article references a study of 4,500 young people and how screen time affects their cognitive development from adolescence through adulthood, beginning in 2015. From the data collected, there was little influence from screen time or social media on the outcomes. If this is the case, then what is all the fuss about?

Well, the third article tackles the subject of what social media use does to the brain. Physiologically, excessive social media use causes the brain’s ability to maintain focus and attention to decrease (the article actually uses the words “shrinks parts of the brain associated with maintaining attention”). It discusses dopamine release associated with social media use and instant gratification, reinforcing reward pathways in the brain. Finally it touched on memory, highlighting the affect that social media has on transactive memory, in which the brain decides which information is important enough to store.

So in turning back to our question “Is social media ruining childhood?”, both sides crafted a compelling argument, and further research certainly doesn’t help me know for certain if it is or is not destroying those precious, innocent years. One thing that’s undeniable is that childhood certainly looks different than it did a few generations ago. The whole world looks vastly different than it did even twenty years ago. It’s quite safe to say that digital technology, the internet, and social media are here to stay, in addition to whatever new developments are made in this field over the next several years. Perhaps it is a better use of our time and resources to accept that social media use is going to be something our children engage in, if not now, then at some point before they are adults. Talking about and teaching positive, responsible, and respectful social media use, including how to maintain balance with the offline world, rather than banning its use for children completely, might sooner lead us to our ultimate goal of kids having happy, enjoyable childhoods that extend into adolescence and adulthood – maybe even better than the ones we had.