The Effect of Social Media on Children and Adolescents
In today’s society, much advancement has been made throughout the universe. However, one that seems to stand out in particular is the use of social media. Social media has both positive and negative effects on society. This advancement has led to a difference in communication to everyone by reconnecting with others, or even informing the public nationwide through televisions such as the news or talk shows. However, is social media safe to use? Social media has a great impact on everyone in society. While allowing your children or teenagers to engage in social media a few things to consider are the risks of youth using social media, what age is too young, and also how social media is useful in some cases. Children participate in cyber bullying now and even find themselves involved in bad habits, such as sexting (Schurgin O’Keefe). According to a recent poll conducted, over 22 percent of teenagers log onto their social media site more than ten times a day (Schurgin O’Keefe). Not everything is negative towards social media, but there are precautions that need to be taken when there is the youth involved.
The cons of social media can be very risky, especially when the youth of this society is partaking in it. Children and adolescents are now known for inappropriate content on social media sites or just simply not understanding the concepts of privacy. A nationwide issue that has been addressed is the action of cyberbullying. This action often leads to harmful circumstances such as suicide attempts, with some being successful. In just one state in the U.S., 1,491 high school students that were the “cyber bullies” were related to suicide attempts and about 4,693 students were rel...
... middle of paper ...
...r. (2013). The Brief History of Social Media. Retrieved from http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SocialMedia/SocialMediaHistory.html
Hrastinksi, S., & Aghaee, N. M. (2012). How are campus students using social media to support their studies? an explorative interview study. Education and Information Technologies, 17(4), 451-464. doi: 10.1007/s10639-011-9169-5
Katzman, D. (2010). Sexting: Keeping teens safe and responsible in a technologically savvy world. Pediatrics and Child Health, 15(1), 41-42. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2827324/
Schurgin O'Keefe, MD, G., & Clarke-Pearson, MD, K. (2011). The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. (4 ed., Vol. 127, pp. 800-804). Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.full
The article “Girl’s Suicide Points to Rise in Apps Used by Cyber Bullies,” by Lizette Alvarez discusses the seriousness of cyber bulling and its effects on teenagers, specifically Rebecca Ann Sedwick. For starters, people are trying to raise awareness about teenagers driven to suicide since a 12 year old girl, Rebecca Ann Sedwick, committed suicide because she was terrorized on social media. As many people knew, Rebecca was brutally bullied online to the point where she had to leave school and go get help, but sadly the bulling started again once she returned, and this time she put on a “brave face” and didn’t tell anyone; untimely, she should have gotten adults to help her because she couldn’t handle the bulling on her own. In addition, social
Cyberbullying has a big challenge when compared to traditional bullying. Because cyberbullying is an indirect none verbal form of bullying, adolescent are more exposed to repeated harassment through hate messages and much more. For so, they increase the rate of suicide by adding feelings of isolations, hopelessness… Social media also contains websites in which those victims rely on, which take advantage of the victim’s vulnerability to provide detailed information on how to commit suicide in order to kill off their
Since Teen suicide is the second leading cause of teenage death in the United States, there is a need for legislation that promotes awareness and education about Cyber-Bullying. Due to the growth of technology in the American society, the younger generations of adolescents are adapting to the excessive use of computers, cell phones, and social-networking sites. According to a study done by Amanda Lenhart, 87% of adolescents who are between the ages of 12 and 17 are using the internet on a daily basis (Trolley, Shields, and Hanel, “Demystifying and Deescalating Cyber Bullying in the Schools”).With these numbers increasing across the nation, the numbers of adolescents being harassed through technology means is growing as well. The relationship between cyber bullying and teenage suicide has been named “cyber bullycide”. Studies show that 1/3 of teenagers who have used the internet have stated that they have received threatening or offensive messages either through text, e-mail, IM, and other technology related programs. In 2007 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially labeled “electronic aggression” being cyber bullying as an “emerging public health problem” (Billitteri 387).
From "thintastic" blogs to suicide stories, social media has become not only a source of conversation but a gateway to harmful suggestions that many teenagers see and believe to be allowable, when in fact the situations proposed are dangerous to those who attempt them. Statistics show that 20% of anorexic teenagers will die prematurely, and 80% of teenagers who commit suicide are depressed (South). Social media has glorified and brought to attention eating disorders, depression, and suicide among teens that might otherwise not become a statistic in these critical categories.
Cyberbullying has risen since the inception of social media sites and the rise of the internet. While the statistics regarding cyberbullying vary widely, anywhere from ten to forty percent or more of adolescents have reportedly been bullied online. The percentage of those on social media, like Facebook, has an even gre...
Social media or cancer? Just like cancer, social media slowly withers away people’s brains, especially in teenagers, when they consume almost everything they read. Social media has grown exponentially while attracting the young minds of teens and molding them without teens knowing. They latch on to things that they feel comfortable with, because they are still trying to find who they really are. Today, social media is used by almost every teenager in America. Sites like Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and Facebook can affect them in a negative way, making them feel worse about themselves or even changing who they really are. Social media can seem harmless to many teens, but it can actually hurt them and cause mental health issues.
Recent advancements in technology have created a new form of communication. We call this new type of communication social media. Some of the big names in social media are Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Most people today use some form of social media on a daily basis. Social media is most popular amongst adolescents. According to a poll conducted by Infographic, nine out of ten teenagers have used social media. Whenever a new technological advancement occurs there is concern over how it will affect society. In the case of social media, the concern is greatest for adolescents. So, how does social media effect adolescents? Social media can have both negative and positive effects. Some of the effects of using social media can be depression, addiction, cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content.
This sort of phenomenon makes major headlines regularly in recent times and effects a clear majority of today’s youth. State and local lawmakers have taken steps to prevent this type of bullying by making illegal under several criminal law codes. Michele Hamm, a researcher in pediatrics explained, “There were consistent associations between exposure to cyberbullying and increased likelihood of depression.” Cyberbullying became widespread among students with the rapid growth in use of cellular devices and the Internet. With this kind of technology bullies have the ability to send harmful messages to their recipients at any given time. This type of bullying is the hardest to control because it involves students but often happens off school grounds. However, because the evidence is material, students and parents could bring this evidence to the school and local police departments if a situation were to happen. Parents should be mindful of their child’s use of the internet and electronic messaging, cyberbullying usually takes place in a medium in which adults are seldom present (Mason, 2008). Also, instead of sending direct messages to other students, bullies use platforms such as social media and anonymous blogs to post harmful things for others to see. Educators must understand the significance of social media use to their students, especially
...besity: The Role of Social Networks and the Use of Social Media and Related Electronic Technologies A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association." Circulation 127(2): 260-267.
Social media has only been easily accessible on our decade, but has boomed in popularity and user use. It has taken over our society and culture providing a new channel to connect with the world in real-time. While, social media has many advantages -- especially in providing resources and knowledge to the public, it has many downsides as well, including not providing enough protection for our youths. As such, we see the rise of addiction to social media, cyberbullying, and negative body images. We need to push our government, schools, and families to educate our youth on internet usage. With technology’s increasing growth rate and that fact that technology will be our future, it is pertinent to teach our children how to use social media in a responsible manner.
Nowadays, children and adolescents spent a considerable part of their time on the internet. Media has turned out to be a very useful tool in many fields such as education, arts, science, sports, and culture. Over the recent decades, there has been a surge in the use of media by the younger generations and concern has been raised about the effect of media on children because of research reports of long term negative effects. Media use is a double edged weapon with both advantages and disadvantages. Since Internet is the easiest way now for children to use so as to watch and observe anything they want such as movies, games, news and pictures, also this useful tool is used by children for harming themselves
The correlation between the development of youth and social media has become blatant. Although few of the consequences are favorable, the majority have displayed a negative impact. The drive social media can implement on youth is exceptional. The pressure and strain social media can place on our youth is an enduring force which leads individuals to question themselves as a person and feel inclined to fit a norm expressed in media and social media of our society. The underlying force social media can play in the lives of the youth is astonishing and is a force that must be dealt with and controlled, for it not only holds the power to give an individual strength, but also to break them down.
“Cyberbullying is a unique form of digital abuse that involves a range of tormenting, humiliating, threatening, embarrassing and harassing behaviors and has gained a lot of attention in recent years” (Cyberbullying). Websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were created to help people communicate with friends and families that may live all the way across the world, but instead they are being used to hurt other people. The misuse of social media websites such as those, more specifically cyberbullying, is a prevalent issue in this generation with teens in middle and high school. Cyberbullying, for example, is an issue that the online community is currently dealing with. Teenagers, for the most part, use the internet to torment and make
The social network on college students has become a basic need for students. It is a daily routine for students to access sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Myspace, and Academia among other sites as they search for information, have fun and connect with other students. The sites have made the world a global village with the availability of the internet everywhere. However, despite the outburst and large numbers of students using social networking, they have positive and negative effects. This paper tries to analyze the argument that social networking has impacted more positively than negatively on students.
I believe that the key to safe and secure social media begins with proper use. Illegal and highly discouraged activities should not be tolerated and consequences should be mandatory. In terms of social media use in teens and young adults, it is important for parents to teach their children what acceptable use of computers and social media is so that they can understand the potential danger and all minors should be monitored while using the Internet to ensure safe usage is being followed. Regardless of age, all users of social media should think twice before clicking the post button about what unintended consequences that post could have.