Abby Murphy

Mrs. Badorrek

AP English Language

4/9/18

Should Children Be On Social Media?

For most of my childhood, up until now, I have been “isolated” from social media. One

of the reasons for this is because social media was not as popular when I was younger, but

another reason is because my parents would not allow me to be on social media. Now that I am

a teenager and I have more freedom, my parents have cautiously allowed me to go on some of

the popular social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat. At times when scrolling through

social media, I see pictures of girls my age or older that look “prettier” and “skinnier” than me,

and it makes my confidence waver and makes me doubt myself. Even kids at least five years

younger than me have social media accounts and it makes me wonder, if I am experiencing this

self doubt and lack of confidence, should kids even younger than me be going through this on

social media? Social media is a fairly new concept to this generation; therefore, parents are

unsure of what to do in this new situation because they did not experience this during their

childhood. Since social media is so new, it is hard to know how the younger generations are

affected by it. Many people believe that social media can be good for children, but social media

can affect kids in negative ways because it causes mental health issues, hinders relationships, and

causes physical health problems indirectly.

Social media can cause many severe mental health issues. It has been said that people are

more depressed and have an overall decrease in their contentment with use of social media

(Barnes). Social media can be very hazardous to the mind. Having a window into someone’s
life makes a person more inclined to compare themselves to others. Comparing oneself to others

is not healthy for the psyche because everyone is different in their mindset, body, and beliefs. It

is also hard to look at social media because a person can only see another’s picture-perfect life or

the life that they want everyone else to see, rather than their truest self. According to Hank

Pellissier, the creator of an institute for brain health, 44% of 12 - 17 year olds wish they had the

same body as a friend when looking at their friends’ photos. This wish for someone else’s body

can lead to body image issues and other mental health issues. This again makes people compare

themselves to others especially if they are around the same age. People sometimes don’t realize

that they are different than everyone around them. Once a person gets an idea in their head that

they should have a certain body type, it is hard to erase. Pellissier also states, “A 2012

University of Belgrade study of 160 high school students determined that ‘online social

networking is related to depression.” The article also goes on to state that there is no one

conclusive aspect of social media that can cause depression and that more research would be

needed to determine if any specific social media sites cause mental illness. It is important to note

that social media does change a person’s mental inner workings. Depression is a very serious

mental illness that can take a toll on a person's life and make them feel sad most of the time.

This makes them unable to enjoy things that they used to enjoy in their lives. Social media has a

serious impact in a person’s life mentally.

Social media can also change relationships for the good or for the bad. Having social

media can make friends become closer because they have a way of communicating when they

are not around each other, but this can also affect their social skills outside of the

internet. According to the article, “ Does Social Media Harm kids?,” social media can cause

social isolation and increases social anxiety. A lot of kids with social media accounts are
spending most of their time on social media after school and on the weekends. Having most of

their time on social media lessens the amount of time they have to play with their friends and talk

to others. The children are not spending enough time talking to real people, making them

nervous going into conversations with new people or with anyone in general which is classified

as social anxiety. Also, online “friends” are not really friends. This concept means that people

who meet each other online are not usually people they see in everyday life. The online world

turns into a popularity contest rather than a way to stay in touch with close friends, which can

make kids become very competitive. This is a good and a bad thing because in real life it can

make them work harder, but it can make them lose confidence. On these social media sites there

are also commenting features which allow anyone can comment about anyone. This could lead

to emotional turmoil for some and can open the door for bullying and social humiliation (“Are

Social”). It can be hard to trust these online friends because they have not met each other in real

life. It is very shocking that from this amazing yet terrifying online resource can change a

person’s life with bullying. The features on these sites can be very helpful and fun, but can turn

into something horrible later on. It is so important to teach children how to use and be safe on

social media if they have an account, but the better idea is to just not allow children on social

media for their safety and well being.

Social media can also cause physical issues in a person. These physical issues can be

caused directly from using social media or can be an effect of social media. The American

Psychiatric Association says that social media can lower the quality of sleep as well as cause

people to gain weight. Social media lowers sleep quality because many people check social

media before going to bed which can tamper your brain from winding down before going to bed.

It can also hinder sleep because they end up staying up later watching videos and looking at
other’s pictures instead of sleeping. Going on social media at night is not worth losing sleep, but

it can become a problem when a device is near their bed. People can also reach for their phone

when they cannot sleep which can make them even more restless (APA). Social media can cause

weight gain because children can be sitting around for hours at a time going on social media

instead of exercising or playing with friends. Pellissier also said in his article that social media

can start children on drugs. Children can turn to drugs because they have more access to visuals

of older people or even people their age doing drugs. Different accounts and videos are

dedicated to drugs which can make drugs seems normal and common to young children. Social

media can make it seem like everyone is doing drugs, giving kids the mindset that because

everyone else is doing drugs, so it is acceptable for them to do drugs.

People who support children on social media say that they get more learning

opportunities and it can boost self esteem in some cases. Even though social media does give

children the chance to explore new cultures, they can also learn about the ugly side of culture

such as war, drugs, and conflict which a child should not have access to. Though it can boost

self esteem from the likes and comments, children often compare their likes to other people’s

likes making them even more depressed because they might not have as many followers or likes

as one of their friends (Barnes). Children especially at a young age should not be exposed to

social media because the child might be learning about something that they should not be. Social

media also causes self esteem issues from the constant comparisons to others’ likes, comments,

and followers. Social media is a slippery slope because it can make for a great way to connect

with friends and family, but it can also lead to some dark effects that can take a toll on anyone,

not just kids.

 Some people say that social media can be a good thing because it can expose kids to

learning about other cultures and allows them to express themselves, but social media is

unhealthy for children because it can cause them to be more depressed and anxious, it can hurt

personal relationships, and it can tamper with the human body through the mind. Social media

isn’t going away, but it is still important to protect our newest generation from the torments of

the social media world. Many parents would suggest not allowing a child to use social media

until later in life or putting restrictions on certain websites to protect the innocence of the modern

child. New restrictions should be implemented to protect kids like limited searching and a

restriction on accessing other people’s accounts to see their numbers of followers and

likes. With all of this new technology and ways of communication, it is important to still let kids

be kids, but still stay safe.

Works Cited

APA Staff. “Social Media use tied to Sleep Problems and Depression.” American Psychiatric Association, 24

May 2016, https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/apa-blog/2016/05/social-media-

use-tied-to-sleep-problems-and-depression. Web. 9 Mar 2018.

“Are Social Networks Creating New Social & Emotional Landmines for Children?”

http://www.drandie.com/social_networks.html. Web. 13 Feb. 2018.

Barnes, Angela and Christine Laired. “The Effects of Social Media on Children.” Eastern Washington

University, 6 Jan. 2012, https://sites.ewu.edu/cmst496-stafford/2012/06/06/the-effects-of-social-

media-on-children/. Web. 2 Feb 2018.

“Does Social Media Harm kids?” Sussex Publishers, 8 Jul. 2016,

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-living/201607/does-social-media-

harm-kids. Web. 11 Feb 2018.

Pellissier Hank. “Your Child’s brain on technology: Social Media.” Greatschools, 9 Feb. 2018,

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/child-brain-development-and-social-

media/. Web. 11 Feb 2018.