The Good and Evil of Social Media

3 March, 2016

English 103 F 11:15-2:20

Word Counted 955

The Good and Evil of Social Media

             Kids have access to the internet no matter what. Kids can access it mostly anywhere, and know how to sign up for an account. But there is always the issue of safety and privacy when sharing information with the public. Parents worry about their kids using social media because they are afraid that there could be some type of phenomenon that is very inappropriate for kids or online predators can affect them. Some parents do not mind kids using social media, so kids can have fun and interact with friends or family, but they should be aware of what they are viewing and sharing. There are benefits for children using social media and there is no benefits for using it. Social media may affect our children by many situation comparable to sexual predator, identity thieves and spending less time with family and friends face-to-face, or may not affect them at all.

             The positive effect for children using social media, which are that they keep up with friends, activities, share photos, update statues, even do homework and share school related information. This could be beneficial for children especially school related and homework help and probably it can reduce stress by talking to friends, watching funny videos or pictures and especially playing games. According to the website protons.org, “ Social networking sites help students do better at school. 59% of students with access to the Internet report that they use social networking sites to discuss educational topics and 50% use the sites to talk about school assignments.” This is very valuable for children especially for students who needs help in homework or review for a test and this can raise their grade up.

             Children using social media is making new friends or keep in touch. It seems very nice for children to keep in touch with friends that they have not seen for a long time, bringing them memories and joy. According to the website, “ 88% report that social media helps them stay in touch with friends they cannot see regularly, 69% report getting to know students at their school better, and 57% make new friends.” This can help them who are shy by talking to people. Children feel more confident connect with others and make them more social. They can feel comfortable expressing themselves, instead of face-to-face.

             The AAP study found that social media had both positive and negative effects on their emotional and social growth. Here is a positive effects, a associate professor and associate chair of the department of studies at Clemson University, Joseph Mazer said “I think social media, like anything in life, has positive and negative characteristics associated with it, yes, there are benefits to being on social media in terms of relationship building and fostering strong interpersonal connections with friends who are local, friends who are long distance, as well as family members who are long distance.” As a parent, you can help nurture the positive aspects simply by accepting how good social media is for kids and helping them find ways for it to add real value to their lives and connecting

             The negative effects of using social media cause spending less time talking face-to-face with family and friends.  Being attached to the computer or phones can destroy spending time with love ones, and not giving your attention. On the website procons.org, “Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School study found that the percentage of people reporting less face-to-face time with family in their homes rose from 8% in 2000 to 34% in 2011.32% reported using social media or texting during meals”. This can actually lead to being anti-social with others surrounding you by paying more attention to social media instead of being social with others face-to-face. This can actually put children loneliness and depression because they feel pressure to respond messages and posts.