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Sally Lahmon

English Composition I

19 July 2020

Social Media Needs to Be Monitored For Minors

With technology and the internet becoming more accessible to younger children every

day, social media has become commonplace. Platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and others host a

numerous population of unsupervised kids that can be exposed to any variety of content, from

false information to inappropriate material. Many adults struggle with dealing with social media

themselves because of social media’s inherent addictive qualities and the toxic ideologies that

litter online communities. Not only can access to social media harm mental health and cause the

development of unhealthy mindsets and behaviors, but minors also have a chance to run into

predators or other dangerous people. Therefore, social media companies need to strictly

moderate their platforms for suspicious activity or have a higher age restriction because of the

unhealthy mindsets in social media, the problematic behavior that can develop because of or be a

result of social media, and the presence of online predators.

To begin with, social media creates unhealthy ideologies about and in relation to mental

health. According to Patrick Robinson, a psychologist associated with the Department of

Psychology and Institute of Psychiatry, in a study examining the amount of stigmatization and

trivialization of mental health issues on Twitter, “The average stigma prevalence for the five

physical health conditions considered was 8.1% whilst for the five mental health conditions was

12.9%…The prevalence of trivialisation in physical health conditions was 6.8% while in mental

health conditions was 14.3%” (Robinson). With rising rates of mental illnesses in teens, those
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that log onto social media looking for validation may see these posts instead. This leads to self-

doubt and may cause the teens not to seek support or help for their problems and damage their

mental health further. Not only that, but children tend to pick up on thoughts and ideas around

them, meaning they may absorb the same attitudes of stigma. Social media is also known for its

addictive traits that can lead to excessive usage or other risky behaviors. In another study by

Yubo Huo, associated with China’s Institute of Psychology, about social media addiction, he

found that “prolonged use of social media such as Facebook is positively associated with mental

health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression and negatively associated with long-term

well-being” (Huo). Social media addiction is also correlated with causing low self-esteem, and

low self-esteem is correlated with mental disorders (Huo). A higher age restriction would not

prevent these problems but may decrease the effect on an older teenager.

Continuing, social media is a host for problematic behaviors to happen and to develop

due to the nature of screens providing anonymity. From a study about middle schoolers posted in

the Academic Journal of School Health from 2009, Elizabeth B. Dowell found that “both boys

(31.1%) and girls (27.0%) reported posting personal information online” and that “when the

students were asked, if they were ever exposed to any inappropriate images while searching the

Internet, 42.0% of the boys and 40.6% of the girls reported affirmatively” (Dowell). 20% of

students had posted an image of themselves online, 13.1% had posted their last name, 7.7% their

school name, and even 1.2% their home address, all dangerous behaviors that give easy access to

their personal information (Dowell). Today, with sites that did not exist in 2009 like TikTok

actively encouraging users to show their faces to the entire platform, children are easily

influenced into publicly sharing their personal information through sharing their faces or

otherwise. In addition, social media also provides an easy opportunity for cyberbullying. In a
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recent academic study from 2019 by Kagan Kircaburun, a Ph.D. student, the results showed that

“problematic social media use and cyberbullying perpetration (which was stronger among high

school students) were directly associated with each other” (Kircaburun). Since adolescence is a

turbulent time, depression is often found in teens, leading to an increase in social media use

(Kircaburun). However, because teens may use them to unhealthily cope, this can lead to

“volatile psychological states” (Kircaburun). This psychological state and problematic social

media use lead to increased numbers of cyberbullying, especially in high school students, as an

outlet for displaced stress or a way to feel in control. If only older children are allowed on social

media and there was more monitoring, the rates of these behaviors may decrease due to a more

developed emotional and mental maturity and more viable consequences for cyberbullying.

Furthermore, the presence of online predators and others with malicious intents make

social media a dangerous environment for minors, especially if unsupervised. In a study from the

Journal of Adolescent Health by Janus Wolak, from the University of New Hampshire, the

results were that “Victims in these crimes were primarily 13- through 15-year-old teenage girls

(75%) who met adult offenders (76% older than 25) in Internet chat rooms” (Wolak). They also

found that “half of the victims were described as being in love with or feeling close bonds with

the offenders” (Wolak). With social media resembling chat rooms in that they allow people to

connect, especially through the direct message format, predators also crawl on places like

Twitter and TikTok. Oftentimes these predators do not hide their motives, as the study found, but

that does not mean that minors cannot fall prey to them, especially when they seem to project

ideas of romance and love. For example, on Twitter, some accounts advertise that they are

“sugar daddies looking for a sugar baby” in their bios openly. Some even state that they are
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adults dating minors in their profiles, proving how little the site and likely other sites are actually

monitored for the dangers they pose.

However, some argue that social media should not be restricted for minors because it is a

place for them to connect with others and learn about the world. Larry Magid, the CEO of

ConnectSafely.org and an advocate for internet safety, says that “depriving youth from access

violates their rights of expression and information as well as their ability to participate in civic

engagement” (Magid). While true that social media platforms can promote connectedness and

communication as well as personal growth, they are also very dangerous for unsupervised

minors, which is why social media companies must begin monitoring their platforms more for

inappropriate or suspicious content. Safer ways also exist for younger teens to engage with the

world without using social media, such as looking for real-life activities like volunteering or

finding rallies and protests to attend. Moderating social media platforms and a higher age

restriction do not wholly exclude minors from interacting either; they only make sure the

platforms have safer, more filtered content for more-developed teens. Though freedom of speech

and expression is important to uphold for all ages, keeping minors safe outweighs the cost.

As social media is so ingrained in everyday life, there needs to be more monitoring for

the safety of the children that are exposed to it daily, through more platform moderation and an

enforced age restriction. While an age restriction may seem impractical, if other alternatives

were available instead, such as new modified platforms made for younger children, minors

would be less likely to sneak around it. The internet can be a simultaneously safe and dangerous

place if not navigated properly, and as accessibility to it increases, we need to make sure that the

experience is as safe as we can make it for the children that are now growing up with it. With the

spread of technology, minors are going to end up on social media whether we like it or not.
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However, we can make sure that it is as safe as possible for them so that they may grow up in as

healthy an environment we can give to them. Leave reviews on social media apps, contact their

CEOs, petition for more internet safety laws, or even donate to minor-friendly social media site

Kickstarters; the possibilities are endless for what one can do to benefit the next coming

generations of children growing up with the internet and social media.

Works Cited

Dowell, Elizabeth B., et al. “Clustering of Internet Risk Behaviors in a Middle School Student

Population.” Journal of School Health, vol. 79, no. 11, Nov. 2009, pp. 547–553.

Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2009.00447.x.

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Kırcaburun, Kagan, et al. “Problematic Online Behaviors among Adolescents and Emerging

Adults: Associations between Cyberbullying Perpetration, Problematic Social Media Use,

and Psychosocial Factors.” International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction, vol. 17,

no. 4, Aug. 2019, pp. 891–908. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1007/s11469-018-

9894-8.

Magid, Larry. “Banning Teenagers from Social Media Would Be an Attack on Their Human

Rights.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 Dec. 2015,

www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/dec/23/banning-teenagers-social-

media-europe-regulation-attack-human-rights.

Robinson, Patrick, et al. “Measuring Attitudes towards Mental Health Using Social Media:

Investigating Stigma and Trivialisation.” Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology,

vol. 54, no. 1, Jan. 2019, pp. 51–58. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1007/s00127-

018-1571-5.

Wolak, Janis. “Internet-Initiated Sex Crimes against Minors: Implications for Prevention Based

on Findings from a National Study.” Journal of Adolescent Health,

unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV71.pdf.

Yubo Hou, et al. “Social Media Addiction: Its Impact, Mediation, and Intervention.”

Cyberpsychology, vol. 13, no. 1, Jan. 2019, pp. 1–17. EBSCOhost, doi:10.5817/CP2019-

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