Should there be warning labels in every social media platforms to remind every parent or kids? How about age restrictions like what we have in the movies, video games and music? No, we don’t have these! The internet is open to all, it comprises various reactions and comments that signify freedom of expression. We also consider it as our personal library because of the abundant knowledge and ideas that we can research anytime and anywhere. But still, we continue to receive negative messages that social media is dangerous to our children. Yes, it might be ‘dangerous’ to children if these little ones are left unmonitored by parents. Kids need proper guidance, most especially when trying to invade the global network.
Here are the points to ponder whether a child should be allowed to make use of social media or not. Keep in mind that it also depends on the child’s emotional maturity, their age and their parent’s availability to guide them.
1. Explore New Interests
New things can be shared on social media and kids can easily grasp that new information or news in just a click. But this is the area where possible danger exists, specifically if the children have unsupervised access to different social media of their choice. Yet, this too is the field of discovery. In the YouTube channel, kids can learn how to do cases, decorations and crafts. Or if they like music, they can follow different YouTube channels and listen to some relaxing and inspiring songs.
Social media allows learning and discovery in the manner we couldn’t have imagined sooner. The uncovering of recent ideas must have been limited without it.
2. Maintaining Friendship
As the term implies, “social” media in spite of the critics’ comments about how it consumes the individual’s spending time in front of the computer or smartphones. Obviously, there is now a generation gap between kids, parents and grandparents. Screens become an indispensable part of a child’s life as they grow up, whether we like it or not. Some parents believe in technology and others don’t. And there are many grandparents who view technology as entirely foreign, isolating and perplexing.
Kids nowadays love to share many things with their peers who live distances away, and that can be a lot easier with the help of social media. They adapt quickly to social services and new apps which allow them to connect with dear friends, no matter how far they are or to any time of the day. Google’s Hangouts is where they can socialize online to keep their ties strong and ongoing. Rather than a physical hangout, it’s the digital one.
3. Collaborate with Classmates
Collaboration with their classmates is possible with the help of Google Hangouts, Skype or other communication apps. It is social and uses technology. It may also be perceived as the newest form of communicating, similar to phone calls to parents.
Google Docs is commonly used by students and institutions to collaborate in their schoolwork, to answer the questions of their peers and to leave comments, too.
4. Get Ready for the Upcoming Future
Schools have started teaching children how to utilize online tools as well as how to communicate among their peers online. For this generation of kids that are tech-connected, we need to prepare them for the future. To ensure the competitiveness of the latest ways of business, it is essential for them to perceive technology as an effective tool to succeed in life.
Social media replaced the old traditional way of marketing. Instead of presenting a particular message or announcement to the public, in social media, it’s about the engagement, conversation and trust coming from the social relationship. Kids know this. They desire for personalization, understand and growing up along with it. By that, they can distinguish the difference between spamming with the false message and someone being genuine and truthful. Since this becomes a part as they grow up now, with the social interactions online that they have, the more capable they will become as they mature. Children who are not exposed to social media will likely to have a hard time adapting to it once they reach adulthood.
5. Be Creative
This reason is the last yet most likely the compelling of all. Sharing one’s photos on social media sites is amazingly popular. Even those conventional text-oriented services for social media have changed its concept and added pictures in their offerings and have them made more outstanding than ever before. Social media brings out the artistry in people. The kids are embracing this even without thinking.
This latest creativity is inspired both by social media and technology and now they have tools right at the palm of their hands and will be able to develop something fantastic. Of course, for now, they also have their ways to share all their creativity to the world through social media.
Don’t let your kids explore freely in social media. You need to be their mentor or coach. Don’t allow them to do it on their own, work with your kids. Social media can be potentially dangerous if unsupervised, either from bullies or online predators. These two are psychologically destructive and can be physically destructive, too.
