The effects of social media on children

Spending time on social media has become a way of life for most adults, but is it healthy for children to have the same habits? We all know that social media has its adverse effects, and for young minds, it can lead to even worse problems since you, as an adult, can't always ensure children's safety on these platforms.

We have listed a few effects that social media can have on children. It might make you think twice before handing them the device of endless scrolls.

1. Inadequacy about your life or appearance.

Even if we know that the photos, we're viewing on social media are manipulated, they can still make us feel insecure about how we look or what's happening in our lives. So, imagine how it could affect a child since they often can't differentiate between what is real and what is not. Images like these can often leave them feeling insecure, having an obscure vision of what their bodies and lives should look like, and that is not healthy! But like all problems, this can also be solved by ensuring that children are aware of altered images and that people only share the highlights of their lives.

2. Fear of missing out and social media addiction

While the fear of missing out has been around far longer than social media itself, it still seems to exacerbate feelings that others are having more fun or living better lives than you are. If children feel like they are missing out on certain things it can impact their self-esteem, trigger anxiety, and fuel even greater use of social media, much like an addiction, compelling them to constantly pick up their phones to check for updates. Solving this is relatively easy since you can limit a child's screen time to a few hours daily to break this unhealthy pattern.

1.      Isolation

Not so social media! Most of us, especially children, think that social media can forge interactions by replacing face-to-face meetups, but that's where they have it wrong. Human beings need face-to-face contact to be mentally healthy. The more a person prioritises social media interaction over in-person relationships, the more they risk developing or exacerbating mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. So, reducing a child's social media usage can make them feel less lonely and isolated and improve their overall well-being, leaving them to forge connections outside their devices.

4. Cyberbullying

When children are online, they adapt to different social norms. Children are often more aggressive or critical on social media because it allows them to be anonymous and avoid retaliation. Additionally, cyberbullies may feel less remorse or empathy when engaging in these behaviours because they can't see the direct impact of their actions on others. When it comes to cyberbullying, we as adults can try to prevent it by leaving the comment section off on a child's device or even just informing them to take these comments light-heartedly since it does not matter what a stranger on the internet has to say.

5. Having no time for self-reflection

Do you find that children check their social media so often that they don’t get time for anything else? By constantly engaging on social media platforms, they have little or no time to reflect on who they are, what they think, or why they act the way they do, allowing them to grow as a person. To stop children from forming this behaviour, they can have their devices taken away during the week, or even just put some time aside for meditation and self-reflection.