Social Media and Networking: The Harmful Impact it Has on Adolescents Today

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Social Media and networking has slowly but surely become an integrated part of the society we live in today. This type of technology is used in our everyday lives with people making an effort to keep in touch with family and friends, checking reviews of favorite restaurants, inviting friends to parties, or looking at pictures from recent outings. Whatever the reasons are for using these sites, this fairly new way to stay “in the loop” has also become a key component in the development of the children and adolescents who live in this day and age. When it comes to technology, specifically social media, there comes an abundant responsibility to use it safely and securely. There are always risks that prove to pose threats to the people that use social media sites. Whether it is Match.com or Facebook, putting our information out into the cyber world can be a dangerous idea if it is not handled correctly. So how can we make sure to be safe with what we share, while at the same time, attempting to teach our children and adolescents to be safe as well? There are some benefits that can come with developing adolescents using social media, but ultimately, the negative impact it has on our children/adolescents and the danger it poses to them is much more prominent than the benefits. With adolescents using social networking, there comes with it things such as: cyber bullying, driving while using the phone, and more importantly, missing out on the real world because the focus on the technological one is too great. All of these things can hinder the social development process of our children and adolescents.
When using social media sites, especially as an adolescent, bullying online is an implication of what comes with online networking betwee...

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Santrock, J. W. (2014). Adolescence (Fifteenth ed.). New York, NY: Mcgraw-Hill Higher Education.
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Schurgin-O'Keeffe, G., & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011, April 1). Pediatrics . The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families . Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.full#sec-6.
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