The ‘S’ Words: Social Media and School

The Impact Of Social Media On Children and the School Environment

Everyone uses social media - a lot. We, as adults use it for work, and enjoy it in our spare time as well. More and more teenagers, and even small children, are gaining access to it these days.

There are a lot of great things about social media, but there are also some negative aspects, which is why some parents are nervous about letting their children use it now and again, or at all. Roughly 45% of teenagers are regularly using social media platforms.

Here are some of the pros and cons of letting your child access social media.

Pro: It’s Good for Their Education

Social media can really be helpful when it comes to education. Various platforms can help teens find answers to educational questions they have that may or may not be covered in school. It allows them to find advice from professionals without having to ask anyone anything – and with time being so limited for most parents, this is a bonus. Education and social media can go together.

Con: It Gets Addictive

Social media gets addictive! A small addiction of one sort can lead to other types of addictions and this is dangerous for anyone of any age – especially teenagers. Also, the time spent scrolling has been known to become a big distraction to getting work done.

Pro: It’s A Great Way to Learn Some Skills

To have a successful career and life in general, a person must have skills, and that is something that social media can really help with. There are certain accounts on social media that are dedicated to helping teens out when it comes to strengthening skills, which will be really beneficial when they start searching for jobs and also applying to university or college.

Con: Teens Sometimes Think It Defines Them

Teenagers put a lot of information about themselves on their social media accounts, which can be dangerous. Young people are always trying to figure out who they are - which is another thing that the internet can help them with; but the negative thing is that it can also make them feel as though people don't like them. If they don't get enough likes on their images or comments on their posts, then it can make them feel like some people don't like who they are as a person, which can affect them profoundly.

Pro: It Enhances Creativity

It's possible that social media can help some people gain more creativity than they would have had if they didn't have the ability to access social media. It's usually a place where people discuss their goals and ideas, which can help others come up with their own unique ideas.

Con: It Can Bring Unwanted Attention

Social media can bring people lots of attention, is this good or bad?

Anyone who has ever used any type of social media knows that it seems it can bring out the worst in some people. It appears that some people feel more comfortable saying rude things when they are behind a keyboard than they do when they are speaking with someone in person, and this can be a really hard thing for young people to handle.

Social media has both negative and positive effects on a youth’s well-being and mental health. While social media platforms can help teens feel connected and stay in touch with friends and family, they can also contribute to depression, anxiety, loneliness, and FOMO. It can also pose risks. For your child, these risks include: being exposed to inappropriate or upsetting content, like mean aggressive, violent or sexual comments or images. Uploading inappropriate content, like embarrassing or provocative photos or videos of themselves or others.

Whether we like it or not, social media is here – and it is active and on the rise. We cannot keep our children from it because it is their future – even if it wasn’t ours. Our fear of what might happen should not be the defining factor in what we allow our children to do and learn.

The onus then lies on us to build relationship with our kids. To create communication opportunities and share from our own experiences so that we become ‘human’ to them; people who ‘deal’ with life too – not just authoritarians and dictators.

You need to ask yourself. Am I willing to put myself out there to help my child? To build trust and open communication with them? Because in the 21st Century, we know that without a doubt technology will replace us when we can’t be around.