Technology, and social media in particular is truly a tool that is dependent on who is handling it. It has both the power to connect us in ways that have never been possible, and the power to completely isolate us from reality. I personally have struggled with my perspective on reality being warped by social media. It is a problem for adolescents, who are desperate to discover who they are. They do not often have the self-confidence to see someone do something they might not agree with, and separate themselves from it. There are far too many bad influences on the internet that; intentionally or not, push children to adapt to behavior that does not set them up for healthy social interactions or perspectives for the real world.
The MedicalNewsToday article on the negative effects of technology lists ‘delays in social and emotional development.’ The problem that I think is the largest with this is that social media is a very intentional medium, and you largely only see what people show you. Children see less vulnerability and weakness, and they struggle to cope with their own issues, believing that no one else faces the issues they are dealing with.
I think the largest thing that would help younger kids growing up is comprehensive education about how social media skews perspective and isn’t real. There should be emphasis for kids to develop face to face, in person connections. However, it is impossible to convince a kid how bad social media is for them, when their friends spend all their time on it. There needs to be mass action that encourages kids to explore the real world, and create their own entertainment rather than trying to distract themselves from boredom.
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