There has been a lot of negativity in the media regarding the negative effects social media has on children. Unfortunately, some of the news in the media were true, there are a lot of threats for youngsters on social media, such as cyberbullying and abuse.
Evidence of unfortunate events exists, however, the benefit that young people can get from social media should outweigh the negativity and the bad stuff. With a little moderation and help from age restriction software and applications, all of the social media networks should be a safe and healthy place for every child.
Kids And Social Networking
Do you know what is the ultimate purpose of social media? Why we need these platforms as a humanity?
Social media channels are created only for one goal – connection. Their existence should make the human connection in real life much easier, meaning people will be able to explore, find friends and make valuable business connections with just one click.
A connection is usually a start of something good that can result in a new idea, new business, new collaboration, and creativity. If we use the nowadays sophisticated versions of social media platforms for only positive things, we can all benefit from it.
Social media helped many people to communicate their creativity and ideas more easily. Nowadays, you can have a platform that you can use to reach as many people as you like with just a click of a button. There are many people that even know
All of the above-mentioned benefits apply to adults but how can children improve their knowledge and express themselves on social media? There are many ways schools can use social platforms to engage more children in the studying process and teach them how to express themselves more easily.
We have compiled a list of things children can do on social media and how that can improve their skills and overall mental health.
They will do good deeds
Twitter, Facebook, and other social media networks expose children to important issues happening all over the world. Through social media, they realize that they have a voice that they didn’t have before. From crowdfunding social justice projects and anonymously tweeting positivity thoughts kids can do a lot of good if they have the proper access to the world.
They will bond and strengthen friendships
Social media is the new popular bonding tool for the children. Being on social media even helps children that are introverts and shy to express themselves more easily and bond with friends.
Sense of belonging
There must be a good balance of social media usage. Heavy social media use can actually cause isolation. When using moderately social media can help children to feel less isolated and engaged.
The online world provides support
When you communicate with different type of people, you will encounter different types of experiences that will help you stay positive. Many children will get inspired when they see and hear beautiful success stories from other children all around the world. They will be able to witness multicultural experiences from other children all over the world.
It helps them express themselves
Self-expression is very important among children. Social media can help children express their artistic abilities and do a throughout research for their passion.
Dancing, singing, and acting can all be expressed on social media. Many children will connect with communities such as book clubs, music and movie clubs and exchange knowledge and experience with people all around the world.
What should parents do?
Parents should be aware of social media benefits and let their children use technology. The importance of understanding the benefits from new technology is crucial for the proper mental development of the children.
However, the most important thing parents should master is the management of social media and security. They all should know the measures to protect their children from inadequate exposure and behavior. Before you let your child dig into the online world, check all of the available security software on the web, download all of the kid’s friendly apps of the social media networks and do a frequent check-up on what and how these apps are being used.
You can never be 100% sure of the security of the online world. Frequent security checkups will provide you with enough data to know if a certain community or group is safe for your child.
Nowadays, there are a lot of courses online that can provide you with the security basics for social media networks. In some places, there are even workshops that give step by step guidance on how you can protect your children from online threats.
Forbidding the usage of social media just because you don’t understand how the online world operates is not an option.
First, you must be willing and ready to learn new things, find ways to protect your family and reinforce usage of communities that will help your child grow and develop into a healthy individual and human being.
Second, try to limit the time your kids can use the Internet, but not to forbid them to use it completely. The internet and social media are the future of young people. If you exclude them from the process, they won’t be able to learn and educate themselves.
That is why it would be wiser to show your kids what are the other options they can find on the internet to entertain themselves apart from social media. The online world is the way how nowadays children study and get knowledge. And the best option would be to combine educational and entertaining compounds. You can install educational apps or upload educational cartoons, series, or movies that might be interesting for your kids. Most of the educational programs or apps contain great visual content and tasks that prompt kids to get deeply involved in the topic and discuss what they have just seen or learned. Hence, you can help your kids learn how to use the Internet in a smarter way and get more profit from social media by using it for discussing more profound topics.
Smartphones and social media expand our universe. We can connect with others or collect information easier and faster than ever.
There are a lot of pros and cons of social media; it’s just how you choose to handle it and how you have to be prepared for the negatives as well.