Negative Effects Of Social Media On Kids

Is Social Media Hurting Our Kids?

Is social media helping or hurting our kids? Has social media become our new babysitter? Is social media ruining our kid’s social skills? Because parents are stressed with work and family relationships, they are finding it harder to have focused time with their children. Electronic devices coupled with social media, texting, and tweeting is our new nanny.

The rapid expansion of social media, smartphones, and digital devices is making a dramatic change in the character our kids in school and at home. Young children are shifting to online, using tablets and smartphones as their source of entertainment and connection to the world. “Consumer Reports reported last year that more than 7.5 million American kids under

I wouldn 't say that texting is all bad, but the younger generation is becoming disconnected with reality. They don 't know how to hold a basic conversation with another person their age. I think social media is responsible for this more than texting. Unfortunately, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, whatever else kids use these days, serve only to breed a generation that doesn 't know how to think rationally, or interact with people face to face. "By the time a child is two years old, more than 90% of all American children have an online history. At 5, more than 50% regularly interact with a computer or tablet device, and by 7 or 8, many kids regularly play video games. Teenager’s text an average of 3,400 times a month," (“Is the Internet Hurting Children” (n.d.). How is it possible for children to grow their communication skills when so much of their time is spent in silence? There can be a far-reaching effect of social media that can damage a child’s mental health.

“Cyberbullying induces mental trauma on victims, such as lowering self-esteem, increasing depression and producing feelings of powerlessness (“Cyberbullying and Social Media”