‭Goossen‬‭1‬

‭Mrs.‬‭Robinson‬

‭English‬‭II‬

‭14‬‭Feb‬‭2024‬

‭The‬‭Dangers‬‭of‬‭Social‬‭Media‬

‭Our‬‭society‬‭is‬‭plagued‬‭by‬‭social‬‭media.‬‭In‬‭moderation,‬‭it‬‭can‬‭be‬‭good.‬‭But‬‭more‬‭and‬

‭more‬‭often,‬‭kids‬‭find‬‭themselves‬‭online.‬‭Social‬‭media‬‭affects‬‭them‬‭in‬‭ways‬‭that‬‭will‬‭carry‬‭on‬‭into‬

‭their‬‭adulthood,‬‭damaging‬‭them‬‭in‬‭the‬‭process.‬‭Children‬‭are‬‭at‬‭risk‬‭in‬‭many‬‭different‬‭ways‬‭when‬

‭they‬‭access‬‭social‬‭media.‬

‭Research‬‭clearly‬‭shows‬‭that‬‭social‬‭media‬‭exposes‬‭children‬‭to‬‭dangerous‬‭media.‬

‭"In‬‭2018‬‭the‬‭Pew‬‭Research‬‭Centre‬‭found‬‭that‬‭61%‬‭of‬‭American‬‭parents‬‭who‬‭let‬‭their‬‭offspring‬

‭watch‬‭YouTube‬‭reported‬‭that‬‭the‬‭children‬‭come‬‭across‬‭unsuitable‬‭content.‬‭Youngsters‬‭are‬‭also‬

‭easily‬‭manipulated,‬‭critics‬‭say,‬‭by‬‭"like"‬‭and‬‭"share"‬‭buttons,‬‭which‬‭may‬‭induce‬‭social‬‭anxiety‬

‭and‬‭infringe‬‭on‬‭privacy."‬‭(The‬‭Economist,‬‭66)‬

‭In‬‭other‬‭words,‬‭when‬‭a‬‭child‬‭is‬‭given‬‭access‬‭to‬‭social‬‭media,‬‭they‬‭tend‬‭to‬‭encounter‬

‭things‬‭they‬‭probably‬‭shouldn't‬‭see‬‭at‬‭their‬‭age.‬‭With‬‭enough‬‭exposure‬‭to‬‭it,‬‭especially‬‭at‬‭younger‬

‭ages,‬‭it‬‭can‬‭become‬‭an‬‭addiction.‬‭These‬‭sites‬‭can‬‭also‬‭end‬‭up‬‭gaining‬‭access‬‭to‬‭personal‬

‭information,‬‭putting‬‭the‬‭child‬‭at‬‭risk.‬‭Certain‬‭features‬‭of‬‭the‬‭apps‬‭definitely‬‭need‬‭to‬‭be‬‭regulated,‬

‭if‬‭not‬‭outright‬‭removed‬‭for‬‭kids.‬

‭This‬‭also‬‭makes‬‭it‬‭more‬‭difficult‬‭for‬‭parents‬‭to‬‭protect‬‭their‬‭children.‬
 ‭Goossen‬‭2‬

‭Quote‬‭from‬‭Lee‬‭Siegel:‬‭"For‬‭besieged‬‭parents,‬‭the‬‭FTC's‬‭proposed‬‭revisions‬‭cannot‬‭arrive‬‭a‬

‭moment‬‭too‬‭soon.‬‭But‬‭welcome‬‭as‬‭those‬‭changes‬‭will‬‭be,‬‭they‬‭will‬‭have‬‭little‬‭effect‬‭on‬‭the‬

‭Internet's‬‭social‬‭environment,‬‭which‬‭in‬‭many‬‭ways‬‭has‬‭made‬‭being‬‭a‬‭modern‬‭American‬‭parent‬

‭more‬‭complex‬‭than‬‭ever‬‭before.‬‭"It‬‭used‬‭to‬‭be‬‭the‬‭proverbial‬‭question:‬‭'It's‬‭10‬‭o'clock,‬‭do‬‭you‬

‭know‬‭where‬‭your‬‭children‬‭are?'"‬‭says‬‭Jamie‬‭Wasserman,‬‭a‬‭child‬‭therapist‬‭with‬‭a‬‭practice‬‭in‬

‭Manhattan.‬‭"Now‬‭your‬‭kid‬‭can‬‭be‬‭sitting‬‭a‬‭few‬‭feet‬‭away‬‭from‬‭you‬‭in‬‭the‬‭living‬‭room‬‭with‬‭a‬

‭laptop,‬‭being‬‭damaged."‬‭(Siegel,‬‭18)‬

‭Essentially,‬‭what‬‭kids‬‭do‬‭online‬‭and‬‭what‬‭they‬‭see‬‭can‬‭stay‬‭with‬‭them‬‭through‬‭adulthood.‬

‭It‬‭can,‬‭potentially,‬‭damage‬‭their‬‭brains.‬‭With‬‭instant‬‭gratification‬‭at‬‭every‬‭turn,‬‭it‬‭has‬‭become‬

‭increasingly‬‭easy‬‭for‬‭kids‬‭to‬‭be‬‭influenced‬‭in‬‭negative‬‭ways.‬

‭Removing‬‭social‬‭media‬‭from‬‭the‬‭equation‬‭can‬‭be‬‭used‬‭to‬‭help‬‭protect‬‭children,‬‭ensuring‬

‭they‬‭stay‬‭safe‬‭from‬‭people‬‭who‬‭may‬‭want‬‭to‬‭do‬‭them‬‭harm.‬‭Realizing‬‭the‬‭power‬‭of‬‭social‬‭media‬

‭and‬‭taking‬‭the‬‭proper‬‭precautions‬‭is‬‭becoming‬‭increasingly‬‭important,‬‭and‬‭we‬‭must‬‭protect‬‭kids‬

‭from‬‭the‬‭dangers‬‭of‬‭social‬‭media.‬
 ‭Goossen‬‭3‬

‭Works‬‭Cited:‬

‭Siegel,‬‭Lee.‬‭"The‬‭Kids‬‭Aren't‬‭Alright."‬‭Newsweek‬‭,‬‭vol.‬‭160,‬‭no.‬‭16,‬‭15‬‭Oct.‬‭2012,‬‭p.‬‭18.‬‭Gale‬‭In‬

‭Context:‬‭Opposing‬‭Viewpoints‬‭,‬

‭link.gale.com/apps/doc/A305339983/OVIC?u=fort51924&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=af0f5‬

‭dd8.‬‭Accessed‬‭2‬‭Feb.‬‭2024.‬

‭"The‬‭kids‬‭aren't‬‭alright;‬‭Child-safe‬‭internet."‬‭The‬‭Economist‬‭,‬‭vol.‬‭431,‬‭no.‬‭9144,‬‭25‬‭May‬‭2019,‬‭p.‬

‭66(US).‬‭Gale‬‭In‬‭Context:‬‭Opposing‬‭Viewpoints‬‭,‬

‭link.gale.com/apps/doc/A586391453/OVIC?u=fort51924&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=40cb‬

‭b246.‬‭Accessed‬‭2‬‭Feb.‬‭2024.‬