How Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) Affects Children Today - Essay Example

? “How social media affects children today” Social media has emerged as the biggest prevailing technology in our society. It has transformed children’s lives by connecting each other through social media networks such as Facebook, twitter, Instagram, MySpace etc. (Clinton and Steyer n.p.). Statistical analysis shows that 7.5 million kids join Facebook before they are even 13 years old, which is a contradiction to the requirement for joining. This results in the presence of their online histories, pictures and personal information etc. on such social media websites at mere age of 5 or 7 (Clinton and Steyer n.p.). They also switch to using smartphones when they are only of age 2-4 years old. They spend maximum of their time in such leisure activities. Rather than learning school works and doing home works their fingers remain; they remain busy in typing an average of around 100 texts a day! This addiction to social media network without even knowing its real consequences lead to the sharing with outer world of their personal information; an exposure to threat of cyber bullying and most importantly wastage of time. They don’t have time to sit with family and siblings and rather dwell into an “anti-social” effect of social media (Boyce n.p.). It has been researched that the brain of a child is engaged in an on-going process of reproducing, learning and understanding life and its phenomena. If they stick their minds merely to social media technologies; it directly affects their mentality, decision power, risk-sensing ability and attention (Clinton and Steyer n.p.). They no longer give time to studies. Thus, the whole day usage of social media websites and devices result into drowsiness, lack of attention, depression and short-term memory problems (Clinton and Steyer n.p.). Social media has negative impacts ranging from lower threats to larger ones. lower threats include facts such as small children’s toys have transformed from stuff toys to smart phones. The face-to-face conversation has transformed to mere dialogues and putting face expressions on screen (Gross n.p.). Other minor threats include the exposure of personal information and sharing of daily routine or trip plans to everybody which might lead to burglary (Sultan and Miller n.p.). Moreover, statistical analysis shows that an average of 8 to 18 years old spend more than six hours daily on social media networks. It affects their behavior and morale by publishing and promoting inappropriate websites and advertisements, which might lead user toward aggressive or non-serious behavioral problems (Roberts and Foehr 11). Other statistical data shows a fact that 57% of the users are concerned about social media networks (Sultan and Miller n.p.). The major concern arises when there is absence of a “delete” button for everything they post or make public online (Sultan and Miller n.p.). It means that once a user put something on screen and press “send” or “okay”, there is no way back from reversing that act. This puts the children’s personality, respect and life on stake when they are trapped by such acts and their false rumors are spread online through others. There is no preventive measure to stop this. Thus, children spend plenty of hours on rather enjoying making fun of others or getting worried for their unexpected shared photo or news by others. But the larger outcomes are those when it affects the personal behavior and character i.e. when video or picture of an embarrassing event occurring is posted earlier on social media websites; long before the actual person knows (Sultan and Miller n.p.). The false translation of event occurring and the insecurity of being exposed to the whole community makes the person being affected highly depressed. There is another major threat named “cyber-bullying” which is an online social act of cruelty i.e. bullying through e-mail, instant messages, on a website etc. Cyber bullies use technology by creating websites to spread false rumors and thus embarrassing the target victims. These acts have deadly consequences for the targeted ones who end up in suicides. Another drawback of large exposure to social media is its “anti-social” effect on the children. Social media diminishes the actual translation of emotions through behavior and result into less means of self-reflecting and making face-to-face conversation (Boyce n.p.). The present children lack such abilities and cannot give feedbacks of one self directly. Their thinking, reflecting and acting abilities exposed through a small screen of few inches. Thus, they face failure in personal, social and academic accomplishments. This shows that more elaboration in means of communication ultimately result in no communication (Boyce n.p.). Now, in order to examine the effects of social media, it must be considered that there are a number of reasons existing that result into negative effects of social media on the children. The lack of social experience and under-developed emotional aspect are the two major reasons of the harmful effects of pre-adolescent usage of the social media on the children (Clinton and Steyer n.p.). This would lead to an anti-social maturity phase in which grown-up children will have their face-to-face conversations switched to putting smiles or sad faces on text messages instead! As stated by Gross (n.p.), "My fear is that these technologies are infantilizing the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment” (Gross n.p.). The second reason is the development being made in enhancing social media network which in turn is affecting children depressingly. It has increased the social Media exposure and its usage. Children are seen to use Facebook along with listening music on iPod. This habit of using media devices and networks more than one at a time adds the usage hours consuming the daily time span of a child. This “multi-tasking” social media exposure (Roberts and Foehr 28) is adding up to the pile of factors that are drawing children away from their normal and healthy lives. Moreover, social Media exposure is linked to the age of children in terms of the medium used and the needs and interests of the children (Roberts and Foehr 20). The websites such as Facebook, twitter, Instagram etc. are more used by the children as compared to the adults, since they fulfill their needs of providing interactive medium of communication and fun. The home surroundings are also a main factor in either progressing or stopping the effects of social media. Its exposure is based majorly on the home environment including the family members. Today, parents themselves facilitate their children with laptops, smart phones, video games etc. It has been seen even that they gift a smart phone to their child on attaining high grades in exams. Children start freely using their devices from mere age of 2 years. In many cases, it has been researched that modern and educated parents themselves make personal accounts of their children on Facebook and let them use afterwards to develop friendly environment at home. However, with time, when those children are no longer children, they demand their own privacy and learn how to cope in the absence of their parents. If the parents try to keep an eye on them and try to use some controlling websites to keep a track on them, then the children act more aggressively and find other ways to cheat and let go their controlling schemes. They feel that their parents no longer trust, although the parents just want to keep themselves sure that their children are safe from other’s threats. It has been researched (Roberts and Foehr 24) that the house environment and role of parents devise the course of social media exposure to their children. When the children are provided better environment, education and facilities of life, they are more contended with it and use social media positively. However, the less contented, depressed and uneducated children draw more toward the negative side of social media and engage in wrong doings and unmannered acts. According to Sultan and Miller (n.p.), parents have showed their concern regarding the fact children are no longer familiar with the worth of their privacy and even the true meaning of maintaining privacy. The social media has diminished the fact the privacy of oneself must be of most priority for maintaining social links with others. However, some people are of the opposing view that some of the social media websites are made particularly for children and are well protected and restricted such as Disney’s Club Penguin, WebKinz and Whyville etc. (Gross n.p.). However, a small ratio of children uses this website due to the limited usage and restrictions. They prefer an easy-going free of rules medium to socially interact. That’s why largest ratio of teenagers use Facebook, twitter etc. since they have no proper way of verification of their ages. Technology does try to amend ways to enhance the ways of interaction and lessening security risks. Opponents might have the view that new setting of Facebook provides more privacy and limited sharing and exposure of personal information etc. but however, another fact comes forth that Facebook itself is now keeping tracking of all the users’ information and sharing it all over the web (Sultan and Miller n.p.). This illegal circulation of one’s information, pictures, posts etc. all over the web shows that how users are deprived of their right to personalize and hide their important information (Sultan and Miller n.p.). Hence, it can be seen that social media is advancing in terms of technology but it is failing by affecting the youth. Ways of social media networking which affect the learning age of children are literally harmful since children have least knowledge of making decisions and such media sources hand them over the right to design and lead their lives themselves. This arises the concern not only among parents, but also the society that how to provide their children with modern technology and socially-interactive means along with securing their future by managing them to gain quality education. If this issue will not be handled soon, then that time is not so far when the children will no longer feel necessary to go to schools; meet the family and even step out of their home, as they are being provided with every mean of communication within their room! Works Cited Boyce, R. Letter. The New York Times. 25 April 2012. Web. 3 April 2013. Clinton, C. and Steyer, J. P. Is the internet hurting children? CNN.com. 21 May 2012. Web. 3 April 2013. Gross, D. Social networks and kids: How young is too young. CNN.com. 3 Nov 2009. Web. 3 April 2013. Roberts, D. F. and Foehr, U. G. Trends in Media use. The future of children. Vol 18. No.1. pp. 11-37. Children and electronic media: Princeton University, 2008.Web. 3 April 2013. Sultan, A. and Miller, J. ‘Facebook parenting’ is destroying our children’s privacy. CNN.com. 25 May 2012. Web. 3 April 2013. Read More