Children and Social Media
Computers used to be rare and expensive, but now computers can be found in every home. With computers becoming more and more popular people are starting to use them at younger and younger ages. People of all ages are using computers for many purposes; this includes young children using them for different social applications. Not every thing involving computers and social medias are bad, especially for children whose parents are involved in their lives, the benefits out way the consequences. Social medias allow children to more easily communicate with their peers from school, and people of their age from all around the world, it also allows them to not feel so alone, while also allowing them to spend more time with each other in the real world.
Computers used to be rare and expensive, but now computers can be found in every home. With computers becoming more and more popular people are starting to use them at younger and younger ages. People of all ages are using computers for many purposes; this includes young children using them for different social applications. Not every thing involving computers and social medias are bad, especially for children whose parents are involved in their lives, the benefits out way the consequences. Social medias allow children to more easily communicate with their peers from school, and people of their age from all around the world, it also allows them to not feel so alone, while also allowing them to spend more time with each other in the real world.
The first thing I will do is talk about the possible negative affects of children using social media to get them out in the open, then in the next paragraph I will talk about how they should be handled and what can be done to fight against them. There are negatives to social media use for children, and every one knows about them. The first and most evident examples are online predators looking to lure children “it is believed that more than half a million pedophiles are online every day”(Weber, Lisa). This problem is evident in the show To Catch A Predator was about. For those who are not familiar with the show is about a crew of people pretending to be a child to lure young children to a house, with the adults looking for sexual relation with the children. Then when the adults come Chris Hansen confronts them to talk to them, each segment end with the predator getting arrested. The next area where social media can be harmful to children is through cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is when some one is bullied online through the computer. Cyber bullying can harm a child emotionally and hard their self-esteem. Where as before the Internet if a child was bullied they could go home an get away from it all, now a days if they can even be bullied in the comforts of their own home. Other people have also raised the question if children using the Internet and social medias will expose them at a younger age to sex and drugs, which will make them, want to experiment with sex and drugs “may be unduly influenced by Web sites promoting drugs or sex”(McBride, DL). I disagree with this statement, since just because a child is exposed to something does not mean they will do it, and children now a days are already exposed to sex and drugs with television, so what difference would the internet make.
In this paragraph I will discuss what should be done to prevent these problems that I discussed in the last paragraph. The solutions to these problems are simple, and it is better parenting. A parent should be involved in a child’s life, and be aware of what they are doing. So why should this be any different with them using the computer and different social medias (Padilla-Walker, Laura M). In order for a child to be able to experience and take advantage of the great social and education value that the Internet is their parents should first explain and educate their child on what they can and can not do on the internet, and to warn them about the dangers that can be found there. But the parenting should not stop there, parents have a lot of tools at their disposal to help them keep their children safe, such as blockers, and filters. But parents should not solely rely on those additions to protect their child. They should also monitor what they do on the Internet. When it comes down to it while all of the problems with social media wont be solved by parents taking an interest in their childs life and educating and protecting them, it will solve most of the problems. With good parenting children will be able to take advantage of all of the benefits that are unique to the Internet that I will explain later on in the paper.
The first benefit that I will bring up involving social media is it allows children to communicate with other children their own age from around the world. The Internet is the first and only thing that lets children interact with others fast and easily. There is nothing else that will allow them to do this, which will let them learn about other countries and cultures first hand through the people who actually live there (STROM, PARIS, and ROBERT STROM). Children talking to people from that foreign country, will give them a better perspective of what it is like for other people from all over the world, better than a book or a teacher ever could. Todays children are the first generation who will have the opportunity to grow up with this technology, and being able to communicate with others their own age will give them a better understanding of what is going on in the world, and what other people from other areas have to deal with on a daily basis.
Social medias also allows children to communicate with their peers that they know from school and other places. Having the opportunity to be able to easily communicate with each other they can share their different viewpoints and ideas all from the comfort of their own home, it also allows them to maintain contact and conversation from school at home. Social media also allows children to keep in touch with their friends such as when they move, so even in their new town or state they will still not feel alone since they can still communicate with all of their old friends (STROM, PARIS, and ROBERT STROM). I have lived in five different states so far in my life, so I can attest to the fact that social media makes it not just easier but it makes it possible to keep up with old friends. If it were not for websites like Facebook, I do not feel I would be able to maintain my friendships with so many people whole I have not seen in many years with out its aide.
I think that social media is very beneficial for children, because they use it not to replace real life, but to help enhance it. Unlike older people who use social media mainly for keeping up with friends and family who are far away from them and mainly looking at pictures of those who they do not see every day, younger people use social media to talk to their friends from school and other places, and to help them arrange locations and times to actually see each other (Hilsen, Anne, and Tove Helvik). I can also attest to this being true with my own experiences, with moving so many times, and having friends in so many different places, I will sometimes find my self in the different states I have formerly lived in. While I am in my old towns, I will message some of my old friends and I will be able to see them again and hang out with them. With out social media their would be no way for that to be possible, between all of the times phone numbers change and people move, it would be simply impossible to keep in touch and organize places to meet up with each other after not seeing each other for many years in some cases.
Social media has many benefits for children while they are growing up, and these benefits will last them their entire lives. While there are negatives to it such as cyber bullying, and online predators proper parenting, and education can prevent them. But isn’t their risks to most things children do any ways, and allowing children to use social media out weighs the possible risks by and allowing children to experience all of the benefits social media has to offer such as being able communicate with people from different cultures, talk to their friend at home and not feel so alone, and arrange times and places to actually see each other.
I think that social media is very beneficial for children, because they use it not to replace real life, but to help enhance it. Unlike older people who use social media mainly for keeping up with friends and family who are far away from them and mainly looking at pictures of those who they do not see every day, younger people use social media to talk to their friends from school and other places, and to help them arrange locations and times to actually see each other (Hilsen, Anne, and Tove Helvik). I can also attest to this being true with my own experiences, with moving so many times, and having friends in so many different places, I will sometimes find my self in the different states I have formerly lived in. While I am in my old towns, I will message some of my old friends and I will be able to see them again and hang out with them. With out social media their would be no way for that to be possible, between all of the times phone numbers change and people move, it would be simply impossible to keep in touch and organize places to meet up with each other after not seeing each other for many years in some cases.
Social media has many benefits for children while they are growing up, and these benefits will last them their entire lives. While there are negatives to it such as cyber bullying, and online predators proper parenting, and education can prevent them. But isn’t their risks to most things children do any ways, and allowing children to use social media out weighs the possible risks by and allowing children to experience all of the benefits social media has to offer such as being able communicate with people from different cultures, talk to their friend at home and not feel so alone, and arrange times and places to actually see each other.
Work Cited
STROM, PARIS, and ROBERT STROM. "Growing Up With Social Networks And Online Communities." Education Digest 78.1 (2012): 48-51. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Padilla-Walker, Laura M., et al. "Parents And Adolescents Growing Up In The Digital Age: Latent Growth Curve Analysis Of Proactive Media Monitoring." Journal Of Adolescence 35.5 (2012): 1153-1165. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Hilsen, Anne, and Tove Helvik. "The Construction Of Self In Social Medias, Such As Facebook." AI & Society 29.1 (2014): 3-10. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Weber, Lisa. "How Social Networks Affect Underage Kids." Everyday Life. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
McBride, DL. "Risks and Benefits of Social Media for Children and Adolescents." Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 26.5 (2011): 498-9. Print.
STROM, PARIS, and ROBERT STROM. "Growing Up With Social Networks And Online Communities." Education Digest 78.1 (2012): 48-51. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Padilla-Walker, Laura M., et al. "Parents And Adolescents Growing Up In The Digital Age: Latent Growth Curve Analysis Of Proactive Media Monitoring." Journal Of Adolescence 35.5 (2012): 1153-1165. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Hilsen, Anne, and Tove Helvik. "The Construction Of Self In Social Medias, Such As Facebook." AI & Society 29.1 (2014): 3-10. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Weber, Lisa. "How Social Networks Affect Underage Kids." Everyday Life. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
McBride, DL. "Risks and Benefits of Social Media for Children and Adolescents." Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 26.5 (2011): 498-9. Print.