With how fast social media is evolving today is it fair for society to be putting the responsibility on parents to monitor and protect our youth from the negative impact that Social Media can have on them? Social Media has been proven to lead to anxiety and depression in teens and exposes them to bullying, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure.
Some might think that simply taking away access to social media from anyone under the age of 18 would be the simplest solution to protecting kids from the detrimental effects that social media can have on them. However, just as there are cons to youth using social media just as Mayo Clinic tells us, there are also benefits; “it allows teens to create online identities, communicate with others and build social networks that provide them with valuable support. It can expose teens to current events, allow them to interact across geographics barriers and teach them about a variety of subjects, including healthy behaviors.”
Even though Social Media companies have some safeguards in place to try to protect youth; such has having to be 13 to have a Facebook or Instagram Account and blocking sensitive contact to those under 18, it hasn’t seemed to do much. Most of the responsibility has been placed on the backs of parents to teach their kids about using social media responsibly to help limit some of its negative effects. But with how quick social media is changing is it fair as a society to put this responsibility solely on them and not on the companies that operate them.
Many of the big social media platforms are not even 20 years old. YouTube launched in 2005, Facebook & Twitter in 2006, and Instagram in 20101. With such quick changes should society expect parents to keep up with the changes in a way that they are still able to teach and provide their kids the tools needed to ensure they can protect themselves from the negative impact social media can have on them while still benefiting from the positives of it.
Twitter: With just as many negatives as this is positives when it comes to social media; who should be responsible in protecting our kids from it? shorturl.at/rDRU1
Facebook: With all the research out there on the negative impact that social media has on youth who should be responsible in protecting them from it? shorturl.at/rDRU1
Griffiths, A. H. and J., Hrach, A., Griffiths, J., Baer, J., Leap, S. B. and M., Barker, S., & Leap, M. (2019, December 30). How social media has evolved over the past 12 years. Content Marketing Consulting and Social Media Strategy. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/how-social-media-has-evolved/
Halpern, S. (2021, September 30). Instagram for kids and what Facebook knows about the effects of social media. The New Yorker. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/instagram-for-kids-and-what-facebook-knows-about-the-effects-of-social-media
McFadden, C. (2020, July 2). A chronological history of social media. Interesting Engineering. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://interestingengineering.com/a-chronological-history-of-social-media
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2019, December 21). Teens and social media use: What’s the impact? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437
Packham, A. (2017, November 29). How old your kids have to be to use social media: A parents’ guide. HuffPost UK. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/age-limits-facebook-instagram-snapchat-twitter_uk_5a1e77bbe4b0d724fed4c11f
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 