McKenna Scott

McKenna Scott
Mrs. Aguilar
English 1302-6th
18 February 2015
Social Media and the Effect on Youth Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest. People can watch funny videos, post about their days, like or comment, and share photos about events we have attended or things we have done. The internet has provided infinite ways we can connect with others and share what is on our minds. How often, though, do we stop and think of the consequences that our actions online could bring? Many people have adopted the concept of “click first, think later”. Youth today rely heavily on their online presence to create their identity. At times, the older generation wonders if they have the capacity to have a face-to-face conversation or if they would rather remain at an arm’s length or even anonymous. While the advantage of social media is found in the very name: social; the disadvantage is the substitute of the online presence for deep abiding relationships that grow through conversation, common experiences, and at some times, suffering. The average age when a child begins regularly consuming online media is eight, and roughly 10 hours and 45 minutes per day is the average time an 8-18 year old spends online. Some teachers agree that this media is aiding students with their academic studies. Teachers who approve of media for students say that it “helps their students ability to multi-task effectively.” In a survey, “several teachers commented on how their students’ use of media has broadened their horizons by exposing them to diverse viewpoints and experiences.” An elementary school teacher, when asked, said she believed that the things children saw on television and social media has taught them about others and how to work as a team. Others believed that social media has helped today’s youth stay up-to-date on worldwide issues and extend their knowledge beyond the classroom (Rideout). In a recent study, 88% of teens appreciate social media because of its ability to easily keep in touch with friends they don’t see every day(...). Barbara J. Wilson states, “Developmental psychologists and media scholars alike have argued that screen media play a crucial role in children’s emotional development. Yet few studies address this larger issue, in part because researchers have given so much empirical attention instead to media’s impact on maladaptive or antisocial behavior.” While social media does have its perks, there are many drawbacks when we allow children to get sucked into this abyss of the internet. Technology alone can have many problems when introduced to kids, but many people fail to realize the effect on the younger generations. It is more intense and intimate for a three year old to play on an electronic device than a teenager (Ehmke). Studies show that an adolescence from 1999 used an average of four hours and 40 minutes a day with media, but when looked at again in 2009, the average had increased to a total average of seven hours and 11 minutes a day. Media was being used for “watching TV to listening to music, playing video games, and using social networking sites” (Rideout). Preschoolers are catching onto new social and cognitive skills at a stunning pace, and the last thing we need are “hours spent glued to an iPad to impend that” (Ehmke). We often see that adolescence “spend more time on social media than they do in any other activity except- possibly- sleeping” (Rideout). Before programs like Facebook, teens kept busy, but were more likely to talk over the phone, or in person when hanging out. It could be seen as aimless hanging around, but in reality they were “experiencing, trying out skills, succeeding and failing is zillions of tiny interactions that kids today are missing out on.” Nowadays, children and teenagers keep themselves occupied by being online and on their phones; texting, scrolling, sharing, or interacting (Ehmke). Social networking has also hurt a child’s ability to communicate face-to-face and their use of critical thinking. Instead of reinforcing the “unedited version” of a person’s reactions, it teaches our youth to think before they respond. Presently, modern youths are learning to communicate while looking at a screen, not another person. When friendships are formed online and through texting, kids are stripping the relationships of the most personal and intimidating aspects of communication. When problems need to be addressed- big or small- it takes “courage to be honest about your feelings and then hear what the other person has to say” (Ehmke). Media is also affecting how young boys and girls see relationships, how they act towards older people, being mean, having increased body image, and “encouraging aggressive behaviors like hitting or fighting” (Rideout). Studies show that teens who use Facebook tend to be more anti-social, narcissistic, and aggressing, according to L.D. Rosen. Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a clinical psychologist, says, “There’s no question kids are missing out on very critical social skills. In a way, texting and online communicating- it’s not like it creates nonverbal learning disability, but it puts everybody in a nonverbal disabled context, where body language, facial expressions, and even the smallest kinds of vocal reactions are rendered invisible.” Social media in children has also led to an increase in negative comments among peers. Social networking has invoked many problems regarding bullying or other aspects of abuse. Many risks linked with media are categorized as follows: “peer-to-peer, inappropriate content, lack of understanding of online privacy issues, and outside influences of third-party advertising groups” (Pediatrics). In some children, the level of contentment decreases as the likely-hood of trouble or being depressed can increase (Barnes and Laird). In fact, “experts worry that the media and floods of text messages that have become so integral to teenage life are promoting anxiety and lowering self-esteem in the young people who use them the most” (Ehmke). Cyberbullying can be a “side-effect” of anxiety and low self-esteem. Cyberbullying is “deliberately using digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about another person.” This can lead to depression and has been a known cause for the increasing teen suicide rate (Pediatrics). 51% of children say they’ve been bullied online, and 49% say they have been the online bully (…). A major risk to adolescents are “risks from each other, risks of improper use of technology, lack of privacy, sharing too much information, or posting false information about themselves to others.” Each time you use the internet, you add all that evidence behind in an ongoing record, called a “digital blueprint.” It affects their future reputations and can turn into big problems down the road. Any pictures, inappropriate messages, or videos posted without understanding is unsafe because “what goes online, stays online.” This type of reckless behavior could result in the jeopardizing of future jobs and college acceptance (Pediatrics). A big problem concerning privacy issues is that many children are unaware of the privacy policies on the social media websites they use (Barnes and Laird). Only 50% of parents have installed parental controls for their children online interactions, but 72% worry that their children will reveal inappropriate information online (…). Finally, youth seem to think their online presence parallels life and they are entitled to say and show things they would never say or do in person. They are convinced that it is all fun and games. But on the contrary, many employers are looking at social media accounts of prospective employees to see if they portray online the same values that they have on their resumes. Youth will also seem to be willing to move farther to an extreme viewpoint online and do not seem to have the maturity or life experience to realize that words really can hurt you- or someone else. Making bold or slanderous statements can damage already shallow relationships or fragile identities. There are many documented suicides that have been traced back to online bullying, most young people do not see their statements than anything other than discourteous statements that they think “go away” once they forget about themselves. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media, “Because children have high levels of exposure, media have greater access and time to shape young people’s attitudes and actions than do parents or teachers, replacing them as educators, role models, and the primary sources of information about the world and how one behaves in it.” Socrates is credited for the statement, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Everyday children use social media, whether to bring “happiness” to their otherwise dull day, to make new friends or to rekindle dying friendships, or to bring each other down by abusing them. Social networking is not always detrimental, because it can advance a child’s academic skills and aid in the advancement of multi-tasking. It can also be harmful too, to a child’s developing mind. It hurts the social skills, communication and can result in the poor treatment of peers to the point of cyberbullying. Please consider a watching how your children use social media to prohibit any abuse or misuse of information, and be sure to stress the importance of setting down the technology and going out and doing. You will learn more from the experiences you have and in the end, appreciate the time you spent with your parents, siblings, and friends instead of wasting away behind the glaring screen of remorse.

Works Cited

Barnes, Angela, and Christine Laird. "The Effects of Social Media on Children." Communication and Social Media. Jeffrey Stafford, 6 June 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
Ehmke, Rachel. “Get Informed.” Teens and Social Media. Child Mind Institute, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2015.
Rideout, Victoria. Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media: The View From the Classroom.
Survey. San Francisco: Common Sense Media, 2012. Print.
"The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families." The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. Pediatrics, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Cited: Barnes, Angela, and Christine Laird. "The Effects of Social Media on Children." Communication and Social Media. Jeffrey Stafford, 6 June 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. Ehmke, Rachel. “Get Informed.” Teens and Social Media. Child Mind Institute, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2015. Rideout, Victoria. Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media: The View From the Classroom. Survey. San Francisco: Common Sense Media, 2012. Print. "The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families." The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. Pediatrics, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.