My essay is below, I hope you are satisfied with it!
DATE ANSWERED: 1:21 AM 5/10/2021
“Our attention spans have been reduced by the immediate gratification provided by smartphones and social media” (Katherine Ryan). The debate of whether or not children should be allowed to participate in social media is controversial, as many adults around the world argue it negatively affects children. When children are active on social media, they are exposed to a huge amount of information and opinions that could harm or stunt the child. Social media should be given to children at an appropriate age and should be taught to be cautious on the internet.
The chances that children using social media are more prone to being tricked or manipulated are high, which is why children under the age of 11-13 should not be given access to social media. While many adults and teens argue that social media has positive effects on children, such as connecting with family and the ease of finding information/news, many children are also exposed to cyberbullying trolls on social media, crude imagery, and scams. According to pewresearch.org, “A plurality of teens (45%) believe social media has neither positive nor negative effect on people their age. Meanwhile, roughly three-in-ten teens (31%) say social media has had a mostly positive impact, while 24% describe its effect as mostly negative.” Pewresearch’s surveys reveal that the majority of teens believe that social media has a neutral or positive effect on them. This statistic most likely correlates to the fact that teens are more aware and careful when browsing the internet, while children are not. According to luriechildrens.org, “Parents tend to be more concerned about what gets sacrificed when by the amount of time spent on social media. The top three concerns are: not getting enough sleep, not getting enough physical activity, and not focusing on schoolwork.” The survey luriechildrens.org conducted shows that parents believe that social media has many negative effects, with the most concerning effects being the lack of sleep, physical activity, and focus on schoolwork. Combining the information found from both luriechildrens.org and pewresearch.org, it can be inferred that while most teens believe social media has more positive effects, many parents believe the opposite. A solution for both sides of the argument is to limit the amount of internet-accessible electronic devices for children under the age of 13, or until the child is aware of all the risks on the internet.
Both sides of the social media argument have understandable arguments, yet a solution for both sides can be reached by limiting social media use for children under the age of 13. This allows the cautious teens to have access to the internet, while parents do not let their children be corrupted by the internet at an early age. Social media should be given to children at an appropriate age and should be taught to be very cautious on the internet.
