ESLSCA University Argumentative essay

Year 2 Semester 2 Assignment 1

Should young children be allowed to use social media?

Introduction

Social media has grown tremendously quickly in the last few years and has captured
millions of users worldwide. Due to technological advancements, many people now have access
to the Internet and use social networking for business, entertainment, and communication.
Children are also given the chance to engage in social media as it gets more and more accessible
with time. More than 75% of young people have social media accounts, according to Common
Sense Media (Augenbraun, 2014). Writing about this topic is essential because it brings light to
the detrimental effects of social media on the livelihood of children. Children should not be
allowed to use social media due to the high risks of privacy endangerment and internet addiction
despite others arguing they are a great tool for aiding growth in children.

Body

A serious drawback of children having access to social media is the little to no privacy on
the internet. Children typically think that information they send in private chats or posts that they
later delete are no longer accessible. On the internet, though, nothing is private. According to
Pew Research (2013), Children are disclosing more personal information about themselves than
ever before, including sensitive personal information and only 9% are concerned about third
parties having access to their data. Privacy issues on social media are not always clear. Children'
personal or financial information can be obtained by scammers in a variety of creative methods.
Criminals can track them if they post their birthday and invite friends. Furthermore, if crucial
information, like a password or credit card, is disclosed, they may find themselves in an even
more critical situation. The information of parents may be at risk from this sort of activity as they
provide their children with credit card details so they can purchase applications or other products
online. In addition to this, children may reply to emails or messages from strangers or click on
unfamiliar links, phishing links. Phishing is a serious problem as it used to access secure
personal accounts, such as online banking. Lastly, children might become easy prey for internet
predators and other people who might want to do them harm if they reveal this kind of
information. In fact, a lot of children claim they have received threatening or unpleasant online
ESLSCA University Argumentative essay

Year 2 Semester 2 Assignment 1

communications from people they do not know. Also, children could potentially experience a
physical encounter with the wrong person. Many more recent apps automatically show the
poster's location when used. This can be used to pinpoint the precise location of the app user
(Ben-Joeseph, n.d). To summarize, children are highly likely to disclose their personal data,
creating many opportunities for criminals to attack.

Social media's most well-known drawback is the addiction it creates. Social media
addiction affects people of all ages globally, including children. This is due to the easy
availability of, and access to, devices that enable individuals to connect to the Internet at any
time and from any location. Children constantly scrolling through Youtube and TikTok develops
into an addictive habit - they wind up watching videos, images, and other stuff posted in the
accounts they follow for hours every day. Other activities like schoolwork, sports, study, and
other productive routines are disrupted by this addiction. They waste a lot of time each day,
which negatively affects their academic performance and mental health. Moreover online content
that is offensive, obscene, and violent is widely available, which has an impact on children's
brains. This content has the potential to negatively mould their minds or leave them mentally
disturbed, which could then affect the other aspects of their lives, including their education and
personal relationships. An article in The Telegraph quotes child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr
Hayley Van Zwanberg of the Priory Group. According to her, "Children are totally immersed in
a virtual world which is damaging both to the way they see themselves and the way they
perceive the real world; some young children are finding it hard to unpick reality from fantasy."
In addition to this, statistics show that 27% of children who use social media for more than 3
hours every day display poor mental health (Woodward, 2022). To conclude, children's
psychology, behaviour, self-perception, and overall mental health can all be negatively impacted
by social media and the addiction it causes.

Cyberbullying and other forms of online criminality are other risks that children may face
through social networking sites. Bullying is easier on social media platforms, where it typically
takes the form of postings with offensive content or threatening messages targeted at a specific
person. Younger children can potentially become the targets of predatory individuals who want
to cause harm. Cyberbullying is a significant stressor in a young person's life, which is not
surprising. Research shows 32% of children who are the targets of cyberbullying claim to have
ESLSCA University Argumentative essay

Year 2 Semester 2 Assignment 1

experienced at least one stress symptom (Finkelhor et al, 2000). In addition to being upset,
they could also feel hurt, humiliated, and even fear for their safety. They might even blame
themselves for the cyberbullying (Price and Dalgleish, 2010). Children who are the victims of
cyberbullying may experience exclusion and bullying at school. Thus, individuals frequently
feel alone and isolated. Because friends are so important at this age, going through this
experience can be especially unpleasant. Bullying can increase when children lack friends. Some
people argue that social media does offer benefits such as allowing children to keep in touch,
helping them make friends and aid in their learning journey. However, this exposure to the vast
amount of information and opinions comes at a cost. Social media is distracting and has a
negative effect on a child’s academic performance, mental health and privacy. Children may hide
their homework from their parents to avoid doing it and watch YouTube instead. In general,
parents believe that their children can use social media freely if they behave well and act
maturely. Nevertheless, just because a youngster has never interacted with strangers previously
does not mean they will not do so in the future. Even when told not to, children might be tricked
into giving their phone numbers or images to strangers. Additionally, kids can experience
cyberbullying, which would be damaging to their emotional and mental health (Davison & Stein,
2014). To summarize, it is widely agreed that the threats of social media usage for children
outweigh its advantages and children are in great danger as a result.

Conclusion

Even though it is indeed generally accepted that social media could help molding a
child’s personality and provide a good learning environment, it does not change the fact that the
negative effects of social media on children are detrimental. Children should grow up in a safe
environment, free of trouble and be able to discover the world without the pressure and stress
social media causes. Ultimately, children should not revolve their childhood around social
media, avoiding it, and instead spend time with their friends, family, or outside.
ESLSCA University Argumentative essay

Year 2 Semester 2 Assignment 1

References

Author, N. (2020, August 17). Teens, social media, and privacy. Pew Research Center:
Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/

Ben-Joseph, E. P. (Ed.). (2022, August). Teaching kids to be smart about social media
(for parents) - nemours kidshealth. KidsHealth. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/social-media-smarts.html

Gordon, S. (2021, March 25). 10 types of kids most likely to be bullied. Verywell Family.
Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/reasons-why-kids-are-
bullied-460777

Jamieson, S. (2015, October 20). Excessive social media use harms children's Mental
Health. The Telegraph. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/11943810/Excessive-social-media-use-harms-
childrens-mental-health.html

Team, T. B. (2022, August 15). Teaching your child about social media and privacy
online. Bark. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.bark.us/blog/social-media-privacy/