In this day and age, social media has aggressively crept on our lives. It is everywhere, it has become the sole way people connect with each other. Without it, people feel like they are not in the loop, which allows more people to be sucked in. Of course, social media has its perks like, how easy it is to use and the fact that the modernity we celebrate today is because of social media. The problem is regarding young adults and children. Is social media a hospitable environment for these growing people? Let us look at the 3 reasons I think social media is poisonous for children.
- Self- Image
- Social media is a business. It includes photo shops, brand deals, celebrities, unrealistic expectations, false happiness, and all over rose petals. Teaching the young that life is not always going to be a smooth ride is an important hard hitting truth, and social media steers clear of it. No celebrity will post about a quarrel they had with their friends but instead post a picture of them all dressed up ready for a nice dinner. It paints a story to kids of, “This is my life. It is utterly perfect. I never fight with anyone or disagree. I get whatever I want whenever and I do it effortlessly. I also make money from not doing much, and I drive a million-dollar car.” Whenever a real human being stray away from that or does not get to go on ten thousand dollar vacations or buy fancy shoes, they feel useless. Lavish living is normalized, when in reality it is far from it.
- Social media is a business. It includes photo shops, brand deals, celebrities, unrealistic expectations, false happiness, and all over rose petals. Teaching the young that life is not always going to be a smooth ride is an important hard hitting truth, and social media steers clear of it. No celebrity will post about a quarrel they had with their friends but instead post a picture of them all dressed up ready for a nice dinner. It paints a story to kids of, “This is my life. It is utterly perfect. I never fight with anyone or disagree. I get whatever I want whenever and I do it effortlessly. I also make money from not doing much, and I drive a million-dollar car.” Whenever a real human being stray away from that or does not get to go on ten thousand dollar vacations or buy fancy shoes, they feel useless. Lavish living is normalized, when in reality it is far from it.
- Cyberbullying
- The world of cyberbullying has grown stronger and stronger throughout the years. It is the perfect storm. Someone who has hurtful things to say, has a computer, and can do it all without being seen. Also, kids, vulnerable people who innocently do not know how to deal with it. The online world fosters a dark world for young people where they are targeted unfairly.
- The world of cyberbullying has grown stronger and stronger throughout the years. It is the perfect storm. Someone who has hurtful things to say, has a computer, and can do it all without being seen. Also, kids, vulnerable people who innocently do not know how to deal with it. The online world fosters a dark world for young people where they are targeted unfairly.
- Sleep
- This a least expected one, but I know from my own experience I have dealt with this. Do you have a night routine? Does it involve a relaxing bath followed by an interesting book? Sounds like something from the past, right? Using your phone before bedtime has become a norm. This greatly interrupts sleep, and sleep is crucial to a growing child’s development. Sleep is the time the body heals and gets a chance to grow. Kids these days just do not get the amount of sleep they should be getting.