Social media has changes the way we connect with each other ,it has changed the way we share information with each other, it has changed the way we spend time with each other. So, many impacts of social media on our lives especially on children. The harsh reality of today’s world, People living in the same house greet themselves on Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook instead of greeting face to face.
One of the greatest reason for most of the people to use social media is to show off, they want to show their fake richness and try to show that they are very much happy in their life ,they are living their luxurious life. This behavior of adults towards social media have a great impact on children , as they do what they see. Everyone has two sides, positive and negative, and so do social media. So, impact of social media on children are important to discuss as children are the future of the country and there should be no reason for their discomfort.
Positive impact of social media
1.Active in surrounding: Children can learn a lot from social media platforms by connecting with people ,communities, can learn about their cultures, trendy topics and many more .
2.Connected with government schemes: In this modern world , govt updates its useful schemes through its social media platforms. What’s going in the government body can be monitored through social media .
3.Way to promote business: if you are a young entrepreneur then social media is the best way to promote your business as more the people joined with you, more your business promotion will spread.
4.Support: communities build on social media can be worked as support system for children facing mental health issues, bullying and loneliness.
5.Medium for expression: social media helps to express thoughts through writing ,art and singing. Social media is open to all and a great medium to become popular. Some of the well known social media stars are Jannat Zubair ,Mr. Beast and many more.
6.Bond with long distance friends and families: social media helps to creative bond with the friends and families which are situated at a long distance. Social media helps them to stay connected with each other in their ups and down and maintain their beautiful bond with each other.
7.Way to enroll online learning programs: Social media also shares information though the ads run by many agencies about the internship or learning programs. Children can enroll there, and have a significant growth in their career.
These are the positive impact of social media but remember positive has its opposite ,that is negative and social has its negative side too. So before coming to any conclusion ,lets go through to negative impact of social media.
Negative impact of social media
1.Addiction: excessive use of social media may lead to addiction and children may become totally dependent on social media for any kind of information and it may hinder the usefulness of reading newspaper ,books and magazine to stay updated.
2.Screen time: Excessive use of social media increases the screen time which can affect eyesight of an individual and can have mental health issues.
3.Leak of privacy information: children using social media are not so much concerned about their privacy information, leading to risks of leaking of their personal information. Children even share their closely related topics which can affect their social life.
4.Fake reality: Children on social media are more attracted towards show off. They try to show their fake happy life ,no matter what problem they are facing .
5.Feeling of discomfort: social media may lead to discomfort in children from other children of their age from their luxurious life. They feel jealous and get frustrated easily affecting their mental health.
6.Less interaction with closely located individuals: Social media affected the way people share their bond with each other. People use to share wishes and concern through social media instead of meeting the individual. Social media affected the physical bond and it is one of the greatest impact of social media on children, society, individuals.
How to avoid the negative impact of social media on children ?
1.Monitoring: As being the parents or well wisher, discuss the boundaries about the impact of social media with children and keep a track on children activity on social media. Make them understand with both the sides of social media so that they can use it in effective way.
2.Information on privacy: Teach children about the privacy issues and terms on social media. Teaching privacy related information will help to reduce the risk of information leaks.
3.Time schedule: Set a proper time schedule of using social media, set time limits in each platform so as to avoid excessive screen time.
4.Engaging in physical activities: Try to engage children in physical activities such as playing outdoor games or follow passion of singing, art to avoid social media addiction.