Debate #2: Social Media is Ruining Childhood

This topic is so interesting to me. I often wonder if I am on my phone too much and if social media is something I should continue…

I love connecting with family and friends and sharing information about fundraiser events that I organize to help spread the word. Social media is a great platform to share information and stay connected with others. It is also a place where people might be sharing too much about themselves and can be harmful to one’s mental health. 

I really enjoyed reading the article Social media is shortening our attention spans by: Dante Caloia. There were many things that resonated with me, and some great suggestions to help with the addictive issues we are seeing with youth glued to their phones all day. Caloia mentions that  “checking social media has become an involuntary response to momentary boredom… and this usage shortens our tolerance for things that don’t involve instant gratification.” We see this often in schools. Students (and adults) are expecting continuous arousal and do not know how to be “bored” anymore.

You also notice young kids and many adults on their phones in restaurants, waiting in line for groceries, sitting around with friends during lunch, etc. People rather go online and see what other people are doing on social media than have a face-to-face conversation with the people around them. This is concerning to me…

Our social connection (face-to-face) has changed immensely. However, our social connection online has evolved into something unimaginable. Friends or family who live across the world are able to stay connected with pictures, videos, and posts. There is so much to offer online… when used appropriately. 

As the group who debated against this topic, there was an excellent podcast Is Social Media Bad for Kids’ Mental Health? that mentions the fact that there are many studies that DO NOT show a negative correlation between social media and mental health. This tells us something. If used properly, I believe youth can find positive groups online that share common interests and they can find new and exciting information that interests them. It can be a safe space where people can find what they are looking for.

With that said, I do believe kids need to be old enough to know how to navigate the internet and understand the purpose of social media. Before jumping onto social media, students need to learn proper “netiquette” when conversing online. They also need to know red flags on what is real and what isn’t. They also need to build online skills that teach them to “unfriend” or “unfollow” negative people/content if it interferes with their own mental health. 

Just as the second debate group mentioned, SOCIAL MEDIA IS HERE TO STAY and we need to learn how to work with it.

As educators know, we need to help students navigate their way online. It is also a parents job to know what their kids are up to on social media. Together, I believe we can work together and help prepare these kids for the future of social media.