The rise of social media made it possible to connect with family and friends no matter where they are in the world. All it takes is to open a website or app and you can already start communicating to your heart’s content.
However, just like anything else in this world, social media also has its fair share of drawbacks. Numerous studies have revealed that social media negatively affects the minds of younger users, and this harm is often irreversible and lasting.
On the flip side, social media also improves children’s social connection. At the same time, it also hones their brains to keep up with new technology.
The Alarming Need for Instant Gratification
Before anything else, parents should know that social media platforms, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), or Snapchat, all thrive on the concept of instant gratification.
Today’s social media users have gotten used to getting instant likes, comments, shares, and other forms of engagement actions every time they share a photo or post. At the surface level, it might seem pretty harmless. What you don’t realize is that it’s starting to rewire the brains of your children little by little into expecting instant rewards and results.
Anyone who already experienced the true essence of life would know and agree that the real world doesn’t have the so-called concept of instant success. People should work hard and stay patient to reap all the rewards in the end.
Digital impatience has become prevalent because of social media, resulting in children escaping reality. For instance, if your child completes a school project, he might demand quick rewards and become impatient for results.
This behavior may find its way to other aspects of their life, even as they become adults who are part of the corporate world.
Failure to Differentiate Real Identity and Virtual Persona
Children often have this tendency to create different persona every time they use social media for them to feel more seen, heard, and validated by others. Not stopping this behavior before it gets worse may end up blurring the line between the real and virtual worlds, making most kids experience an identity crisis.
People who have daily exposure to fabricated people may start feeling like they are pressured to conform to unrealistic beauty and living standards.
For instance, if your child is always watching influencers on social media platforms, they might start mistaking the curated personality of that person for their identity in real life.
Sooner or later, they may even get to the point where they will compare their life with that of their social media peers and imitate their actions or behaviors, which can make them give up or forget about their own true identity.
The last thing you want is for your children to experience severe feelings of inadequacy or self-doubt so make sure you teach them how to draw a clear line between the real and virtual worlds. Be sure to keep track of every website your child goes to, and teach them the pros and cons of social networking.
Reduced Attention Span
Probably the biggest and most serious downside of too much use of social media is the increased rate of reduced attention span. The constant pop-ups of social media content, the endless scrolling, the unending buzzes of notifications, and the extensively circulated short-form content can all harm the attention span of children.
If children stay glued to their screens, just mindlessly scrolling different social media platforms, sooner or later, they will end up losing their ability to focus and concentrate for long hours on more productive work.
It might even make it difficult for them to finish their home in one sitting. Their focus may also fluctuate while studying. The reduced attention span, distraction, and loss of focus can hamper their academic journey, with its adverse effects starting to show up in other aspects of their life as well.
Kids, for example, may no longer enjoy the activities they used to love, such as a specific sport, only because they have a hard time fully immersing themselves in other activities.
To ensure that kids won’t lose their attention span and continue to live a mindful life, parents must set and implement strict tech-free time and teach them the essence of physical activities, offline interactions, and time management.
Wrapping It Up
Social media is a platform that constantly and continuously changes by the day. These networking platforms allow children to express themselves, exchange and share interesting content, and engage with each other.
This has paved the way for the rise of a new cultural paradigm that affects industries and technology while causing major shifts in the way people interact. However, there is no denying that social media is like a double-edged sword. Although it has a long list of benefits, social media can also pose serious risks to children.
To be a parent in this modern world only means that you are responsible for making sure that your kids only spend meaningful time on their social media profiles.
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