Implications of Social Media: How Will Social Media Affect Children 50 Years From Now?

Within this research paper, this learner selected children to review for psychological effects due to use of social media. According to the Child Mind Institute (2017) two out of every three teenagers in the United States owns an iPhone, and out of all teenagers in the United States 90% aged 16-24 use the internet for social media. This is an extremely considerable number of children utilizing technology for social purposes on a daily basis. The way that this will effect future generations is still yet to be determined, however, within the course of this research paper we will address a few of the possible or true implications of such.

Physical Effects of Social Media

According to the Child Mind Institute (2017) a few of the good implications of social media on children is that the drinking, drug use and car accidents have significantly decreased; high school students are now 40% less sexually active than in 1991, and the birth rate has decreased by 67% since 1991 as well; studies have also shown that approximately an hour or less of video gaming in children a day can have positive mental health effects. These are the positive side effects of social media on children… however, there is also negative side effects as well. Children who spend 10 more hours on social media per week are 56% more likely to be report being unhappy; increased use of social media has increased depression rates by 27% - boys 21% and girls 50%; many social media platforms have been proven to increase feelings of anxiety; boys are 10% more likely to experience cyberbullying; girls are 22% more likely to report being cyberbullied as well; children who spend three or more hours per day on electronic devices are 28% more likely to get less than seven hours of sleep each night.

Another study agrees with the assessment of increased depression, anxiety and lack of sleep among teenagers and children who utilize social media compared to those that do not (Jenco, 2019). While social media itself does not cause harm, it does however have the ability to disrupt normal, everyday activities such as sleep and exercise (Jenco, 2019). Lack of exercise can lead to childhood obesity, or obesity experienced in early adulthood (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016), and heavy social media use can also be linked to sleep disorders, social or antisocial disorders, school performance, access to child predators, and cyberbullying. All of which would be considered negative effects of social media.

Psychosocial Effects of Social Media

A term this learner has commonly heard used mostly amongst those utilizing social media at a youthful age is FOMO. FOMO is referred to as the Fear of Missing Out. When children and teenagers can see that their friends had a party without them, or went out for a milkshake without them, or had a sleepover without them… FOMO hits. When individuals, specifically teenagers, see that they are not “included in an activity on the internet, it can influence their thoughts and feelings,” (Healthy Living, 2021). While there are studies that show positive effects of social media on children, by increasing communication, social interaction, and technical skills (Healthy Living, 2021), there are also negative effects as well. Among these negative effects is cyberbullying and sleep disruption which is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal thinking.

Use and Effects of Social Media

In todays society 75% of teenagers have cell phones, 25% use social media, 54% use text messaging communication, 24% use instant messaging (O’Keeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). With this information on the use of social media on our youth, this would indicate that the majority of our population is developing socially and emotionally while on the internet and cell phones (O’Keeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). According to O’Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson (2011) that are multiple positive effects of children utilizing social media such as (1) opportunities for engagement to a variety of social interactions; (2) enhancement of creativity through development and sharing of creative abilities; (3) essentially the growth of imagination through productive means of possible income routes (blogs, podcasts, videos and gaming sites); (4) expansion of social groups, communications and social interests; and (5) fostering of the child’s individual identify and unique social skills. Even with all of the advantages of learning, social growth, and communication and others, there are negative effects. Among the negative effects of social media use in our youth is (1) cyberbullying and online harassment; (2) sexting; and (3) negative mental health disorders such as depression, or anxiety (O’Keeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011).

Proposed Research Topic

While it is clear that the research currently conducted on the use and effect of social media among teenagers and youth is limited at best to individual self-construction (Cipolletta et al, 2020). Through the course of future research, it would be interesting to see how the rise in future technology is linked to childhood internet usage. It is no surprise that the internet is full of a vast array of knowledge, but to what degree is that knowledge essentially wasted, underutilized, or otherwise taken for granted as being available at the tips of our youths fingertips? Has the use of technology within the younger generation been linked to a rise of technological advances in society, or a decrease?

Conclusion

In conclusion, it appears that there is a vast array of knowledge on how many youth utilize technology and social media, and what the effect of that usage is. There have been coined terms such as “Facebook Depression” and “FOMO” used to describe issues faced only with those that utilize social media in their youth, but to what extent is the youth that are exposed to the social media and vast variety of knowledge located within social media actually beneficial to society as a whole? It appears that there are a lot of opportunities for research within this topic, especially since we have studied fairly in depth the individual effects on children.

References

• American Academy of Pediatrics. 2016. Constantly Connected: Adverse Effects of Media on Children & Teens. Healthy Children. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Adverse-Effects-of-Television-Commercials.aspx

• Child Mind Institute. 2017. Smartphones and Social Media. Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/awareness-campaigns/childrens-mental-health-report/2017-childrens-mental-health-report/smartphones-social-media/

• Cipolletta, S., Malighetti, C., Cenedese, C., & Spoto, A. 2020. How Can Adolescents Benefit from the Use of Social Networks? The iGeneration on Instagram. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/6952/pdf

• Healthy Living. 2021. Social Media and its Effect on Children’s Mental Health. My DR. https://www.mydr.com.au/social-media-its-effect-on-childrens-mental-health/

• Jenco, M. 2019. Study: Frequent Social Media Use Disrupts Sleep, Physical Activity in Teen Girls. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/13874

• O’Keeffe, G. S., & Clarke-Pearson, K. 2011. The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents and Families. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/127/4/800/65133/The-Impact-of-Social-Media-on-Children-Adolescents