Since the invention of social media, its usage has skyrocketed due to the facilitation of bringing the whole world within one’s grasp. However, deciding the appropriate age for children to start using social media has always been a primary topic to debate. While some people believe that children from an early age should get used to using social media, others firmly oppose the idea. The latter one suggests that a child should at least be of the age of 14 to access social media, as younger children cannot handle the potential negative effects of social media.
Children under the age of 15 are still developing and learning to adapt to challenging situations. Being on social media at this age can disrupt their gradual cognitive growth and social skills development.
Some adverse effects of social media on kids and adolescents are given below to reinforce the discussion:
- Social isolation: Most of the time children get addicted to social media, which leads them to be less eager to interact face to face with family and friends. Eventually they get themselves isolated from society.
- Lack of healthy activities: When children get entertained through using social media, they get less attracted to healthy activities. Physical and outdoor activities help children in physical and mental development; they provide a sense of accomplishment and confidence as well.
- Lack of sleep: We all know how much impact less sleep can have on children in their developing age. Social media is one of the primary reasons for sleep deprivation among kids and adolescents.
- Cyberbullying: Young users often get exposed to cyberbullying which severely impacts their mental well-being. For being new to this, they can’t tackle the situation easily.
- Exposure to Inappropriate Content: As social media is a common platform for all age users, children may get exposed to inappropriate or explicit content that may not be suitable for their ages.
- Anxiety and Depression and Other Health Issues: Studies show that children aged 11 to 15 who are exposed to social media often suffer from mental and psychological health issues like depression, addiction, anxiety, behavioral problems, sight problems, headaches etc. Due to their lack of capability to deal with the vulgar side of social media, they often become the victims of online predators or scams.
The impact of social media usage isn’t solely negative; there are positive aspects as well, such as facilitating connections across cultures, providing educational contents and granting platforms to show creativity. However, the risks associated with using social media at a premature age outweigh the benefits, as it is proved by many research studies. Though most adult sites restrict access to children, in today’s world it’s very easy to bypass them. Therefore, parents should remain cautious about their children getting exposed to social media.
To summarize, it is more secure to let children use social media after age 14 or above. Younger children, while going through the developing stage, cannot balance social media usage. Although some may argue about the benefits outweighing negative impacts, parents and educators should remain concerned regarding the matter and foster responsible online habits among children so that they can have a healthy relationship with social media.
To read more blogs, click here
Writer
Kazi Mirana Mainuddin
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE