Social Problems
Teens and The Use of Social Media
The use of social media amongst teens has recently become a growing issue. Most parents, if not all are noticing that their children are gradually not being able to concentrate or focus on school work effectively because of the amount of time they spend on their mobile devices or laptops concentrating on new "trends", "memes" or Buzzfeed "quizzes" that pops up onto their "feed", which leads to their slacking on academics. Understandably, the internet provides a great way for teenagers to enhance their learning because it is accessible from anywhere, anytime and the best part is that it is free of charge.
Knowledge and information on the wide web are available to anyone and the information provided (most of the time) is current, accurate and up-to-date. Although one can argue that the information provided online is valid, the internet may also contain information that is completely inaccurate. Therefore, it is crucial that teenagers are shown, taught and monitored when it comes to using the internet for both educational and recreational uses. As much as I dislike generalizing, I do know that there are some parents and guardians who deem the internet as toxic when it comes to recreational use. To those parents out there who consider that to be true, I am with you on that. Yes, there are things on the internet which can be very damaging and harmful to a child's learning and maturing years, such as preventing their ability to develop interpersonal skills, being comfortable relaxing without staring at a screen of some sort and lowering the risk of being a cyber bully or cyberbullied. There are other numerous reasons which further reiterate the point mentioned above.
The internet can be a great learning tool to accompany any child for educational purposes but also the use of social media can be perfectly fine. There just needs to be a balance between their lives and texting, tweeting or posting on social media platforms. When there are no rules and guidelines regarding the use of social media, that is when things can become difficult for a parent to address this issue. It is would be advisable to set boundaries and limits as to how much social media they can access per day during the school week and the weekends. If there is an improvement in their behavior and usage, slowly transition into becoming more lenient. Additionally, evaluating their use of social media can help you recognize areas that you may need to address with them. As parents and guardians, it is best to caution your children about the potential dangers and threats that can lead them down the wrong path or put them in harm's way, such as joining public web chats that are inappropriate, online hate groups, lurking sexual predators, stolen property for blackmail which could be explicit photos and much more.
One thing for sure, do not completely isolate them from social media. That could be damaging to them too, considering we live in a society where everyone is on social media and the internet and a place where teenagers are able to interact and connect with each other outside of classes, sure it may not necessarily be the best way. Although, that is how our society operates nowadays, however, that still does not mean that it is ok to be on your phone 24/7. I do too realize that I am social media a lot, keeping up to date with all the latest trends and friends that I forget that it is unhealthy because I lose out so much time in a day, time which I could have used more effectively. Instead about texting my friends at home about gossip (cause that is just how us girls are) or what I have been up to, I could have planned a hike or a day at the beach with them AND talk to them about what I would have texted. Do you see my point? Right now I am in my late teenage years, interacting with people is really important because it helps you gain confidence and social skills that you would not be able to learn if it is through a screen. Moreover, time passes by when you are simply scrolling through your phone or tablet and unfortunately there is no benefit in that. The only benefit which you get is maybe some finger exercise or a sprain.
The most important years when a child is growing, are the teenage years. Therefore, it is very crucial for them to have a balance between technology and reality. It is not as difficult as you think, all you have to do is strike the right balance and your good to go. I like to think of it as a "Healthy Social Media" lifestyle, which benefits them in the long run.The teenagers may not know it yet, but they will and appreciate it later in life.
Knowledge and information on the wide web are available to anyone and the information provided (most of the time) is current, accurate and up-to-date. Although one can argue that the information provided online is valid, the internet may also contain information that is completely inaccurate. Therefore, it is crucial that teenagers are shown, taught and monitored when it comes to using the internet for both educational and recreational uses. As much as I dislike generalizing, I do know that there are some parents and guardians who deem the internet as toxic when it comes to recreational use. To those parents out there who consider that to be true, I am with you on that. Yes, there are things on the internet which can be very damaging and harmful to a child's learning and maturing years, such as preventing their ability to develop interpersonal skills, being comfortable relaxing without staring at a screen of some sort and lowering the risk of being a cyber bully or cyberbullied. There are other numerous reasons which further reiterate the point mentioned above.
The internet can be a great learning tool to accompany any child for educational purposes but also the use of social media can be perfectly fine. There just needs to be a balance between their lives and texting, tweeting or posting on social media platforms. When there are no rules and guidelines regarding the use of social media, that is when things can become difficult for a parent to address this issue. It is would be advisable to set boundaries and limits as to how much social media they can access per day during the school week and the weekends. If there is an improvement in their behavior and usage, slowly transition into becoming more lenient. Additionally, evaluating their use of social media can help you recognize areas that you may need to address with them. As parents and guardians, it is best to caution your children about the potential dangers and threats that can lead them down the wrong path or put them in harm's way, such as joining public web chats that are inappropriate, online hate groups, lurking sexual predators, stolen property for blackmail which could be explicit photos and much more.
One thing for sure, do not completely isolate them from social media. That could be damaging to them too, considering we live in a society where everyone is on social media and the internet and a place where teenagers are able to interact and connect with each other outside of classes, sure it may not necessarily be the best way. Although, that is how our society operates nowadays, however, that still does not mean that it is ok to be on your phone 24/7. I do too realize that I am social media a lot, keeping up to date with all the latest trends and friends that I forget that it is unhealthy because I lose out so much time in a day, time which I could have used more effectively. Instead about texting my friends at home about gossip (cause that is just how us girls are) or what I have been up to, I could have planned a hike or a day at the beach with them AND talk to them about what I would have texted. Do you see my point? Right now I am in my late teenage years, interacting with people is really important because it helps you gain confidence and social skills that you would not be able to learn if it is through a screen. Moreover, time passes by when you are simply scrolling through your phone or tablet and unfortunately there is no benefit in that. The only benefit which you get is maybe some finger exercise or a sprain.
The most important years when a child is growing, are the teenage years. Therefore, it is very crucial for them to have a balance between technology and reality. It is not as difficult as you think, all you have to do is strike the right balance and your good to go. I like to think of it as a "Healthy Social Media" lifestyle, which benefits them in the long run.The teenagers may not know it yet, but they will and appreciate it later in life.
I hope this post helps you out!
Bye for now....
kiesha.
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