- What are the pros and cons of social media and their impact on kids in terms of K-12?
- How do we teach kids responsible use of Social Media?
Growing up with social media
In an ever-increasing technological world, social media networks are taking over the time and minds of our youth. While social media plays a huge role in the lives of children and adolescents, it is important to be aware of the affects of social media networks, both positive and negative, and then teach our youth responsible use.
NetTweens – The Internet and Body Image
Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2014). NetTweens: The Internet and Body Image Concerns in Preteenage Girls. Journal Of Early Adolescence, 34(5), 606-620. DOI: 10.1177/0272431613501083
Over the years, there have been many studies that have shown a correlation between girls media exposure and their feelings about their own body image. Tiggermann and Slater conducted a study by sampling 189 young girls, aged 10 – 12 years old. They had each girl fill out a questionnaire about their media consumption. However, this study went further than many studies in the past, by focusing on girls internet access and social media connections.
The majority of girls in the sample (97.4%), had regular access to the Internet at home.
In the questionnaire, girls were asked if they have a profile on a social media network, as well as how long they spent on a social media network. The girls reported using Facebook the most often. Of the sample, 43% of girls had a Facebook profile and spent an average of 1.5 hours on the site per day. The study showed a strong relationship with body image insecurity and internet exposure. More specifically, the study showed the following: “Facebook users showed that they scored significantly higher on internalization, body surveillance, and dieting, and lower on body esteem.” (Page, ) These girls reported a genuine unhappiness with their bodies, a desire to look like the images they saw online, an overall and consistent focus on how they “looked”, dieting habits and tendencies, and lower confidence in their body.
Through reading this study, I learned that girls are getting exposed to social media sites at very young ages, and that exposure is leading to body image concerns. In the past, girls were exposed to magazines and TV shows, etc. However, now that many young girls have access to computers and social media sites, and are on them around an hour and a half daily, they are being exposed to constant media images that significantly affecting their confidence. Overall, girls on social media sites are showing a greater focus on their looks, a greater insecurity about their bodies, increased dieting and lower esteem. This article argues a great negative to social media for young girls. As they spend time looking at pictures of others, girls are becoming increasing self-conscious and focused on their own appearance. As a result, many are taking action through dieting.
The App Generation
Davis, K. & Gardner, H. (2013). The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
What is it like to grow up in a generation with apps? What happens to kids when they live immersed in a digital world? How are their minds and brains affected? Howard and Davis define an app as a software application you download and then use to perform discrete tasks. Apps enable us to do tasks quickly and on demand. In essence, they refer to them as “shortcuts” that take you straight to what you want to do and where you want to be. Through a large amount of research, conducted over a 6 year period, the book argues and proves that apps can be either enabling for freeing. They state, “In our own terms, we may think of habits as potentially making us dependent on certain conditions or as enabling us, freeing us to do new and potentially important things.” (Page, 29) Howard and Davis write about three essential themes for adolescents: personal identity, intimate relationships, imagination and creativity. Youths are trying to figure out who they are, they are trying to develop intimate and meaningful relationships, and they are prime for thinking differently and imagining the world in a new and different way. However, those things will be affected in either a positive or negative way, dependent upon if our youth are “app-enabled” or “app-dependent”.
I learned a great deal from this book and Gardner and Davis’ extremely thorough studies. They authors displayed data to uncover the drawbacks of apps: they may foreclose a sense of identity, encourage superficial relations with others, and stunt creative imagination. Young girls and boys are crafting their own online identities. They portray the images and comments that they want to include to make themselves desirable to themselves and their peers. However, while they work hard to portray this polished image online, they leave out and in many ways neglect and minimize their internal self. In addition, they are faced with the pressure to solidify their identity prematurely, while they are still trying to figure out who they are.
Davis and Howard also reveal a number of benefits of apps: they can promote a strong sense of identity, allow deep relationships, and stimulate creativity. However, they conclude that the only way for the apps to have a positive impact, is if youths venture beyond the ways that apps are designed to be used and use them as a springboard to greater creativity and deeper relationships. I have never thought of social media networks as an “app” world or “app” generation. This book really broadened my understanding of social media, as the sites all appear as apps on a smart phone. Apps are designed to be shortcuts and to get us what we want, when we want it. I also learned that young girls and boys are in the midst of developing personal identity, intimacy and imagination, and that social media apps can significantly affect those areas in a negative way. From the data, I also learned that young people are becoming increasingly afraid to take risks and expect quick answers. On a positive note, they are becoming much more accepting of other religions, races and sexual orientations. I was also shocked by one of the positives of apps and social media. Through social media, kids are becoming more connected to their parents and they have many ways to stay in contact. This study was very helpful in answering my guiding question, by displaying in-depth answers about both the positive and negative effects of apps and social media on youth.
The Corrosion of Innocence
David Cameron’s Speech (2013). Retrieved July 14, 2016, from https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-internet-and-pornography-prime-minister-calls-for-action
On July 22, 2013, David Cameron made a powerful speech about cracking down on online pornography and making the Internet safer for children. As both the Prime Minister of England and a father, he holds a firm position that our children’s innocence is being corroded by Internet pornography. Cameron states, “My argument is that the Internet is not a side-line to real life or an escape from real life, it is real life. It has an impact on the children who view things that harm them, on the vile images of abuse that pollute minds and cause crime, on the very values that underpin our society. So we’ve got to be more active, more aware, more responsible about what happens online.” Cameron argues that pornography is becoming a “rite of passage” for children. He states, “…there are young people who think it’s normal to send pornographic material as a prelude to dating in the same way you might once have sent a note across the classroom.”
Cameron’s speech was persuasive. It called me to reflect upon the fact that children can’t go into certain stores or movie theatres to buy or watch material meant for adults. However, when it comes to the Internet, children can access inappropriate images and videos with the click of a mouse or the swipe of their fingers. I learned that Google and other search engines make searching for material incredibly easy, even if that material is completely inappropriate.
Both challenges that Cameron presents have something in common; they’re about how our collective lack of action on Internet safety has led to harmful consequences for children. I learned that our society used to be able to protect children by enforcing age restrictions. However, the explosion of the Internet in children’s lives, has changed that. Cameron argued, “It’s made it much more difficult for parents to know what’s going on.” I also learned that over 1/3 of children have viewed a sexually explicit email or text and 1/4 of children have reported seeing pornography that was upsetting. When children are exposed to this material at such young ages, they end up growing up entirely too fast. In addition, they get warped and unhealthy ideas of sex. Cameron’s argument and plea for better internet protection for children, made it obvious to me that there are significant negative implications of the internet on children. The speech connects to my guiding questions because social media networks are some of the main sites and apps that can be used to access this pornography. They are the main sites with which kids are sending and receiving nudes and indecent images. While social media sites can provide some great benefits, the negative effects cannot be ignored.
Kendall Jenner’s Tweet
Jenner, K. (2016). Kendall Jenner’s Twitter account. Retrieved July 12, 2016, from https://twitter.com/kendalljenner?lang=en
MOOD 
All I can say is that when I am in a “mood”, I do not look like Kendall Jenner in this photograph. This is a tweet that Kendall Jenner posted to her Twitter account. She is, and looks like a model and is wearing an immense amount of makeup. According to a number of young girls in Nancy Jo Sales’ book, American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, Kendall Jenner is someone whom many teens today follow and look up to. She currently has over 18 million followers on Twitter. While she has since developed her own fashion line, Kendall and her family primarily found their fame through social media. As I visited her Twitter account, almost every picture I found was similar to this one. She displayed images of herself in revealing pieces from her clothing line and dolled up in makeup. Many young girls are looking at her images and striving to take selfies similar to this one. To me, this image portrays the unrealistic pressure that social media can place on girls. They hold themselves to the standard of a model, who has her makeup professionally done and can afford top of the line clothing. This image helps answer my guiding question as it shows an actual image that many young kids are looking at on social media. I learn that one of the cons of social media on youth is that the images shown can hold girls to an unrealistic and degrading standard.
American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers
Facebook HACK
Facebook Head Quarters: Picture is posted on the wall in the new building on the Facebook Campus.
The definition of a computer HACK, according to dictionary.com, is…”to modify or write in a skillful or clever way.” At the Facebook headquarters, there are signs all over that say “HACK”. I asked one of the employees what these signs mean to them. He said, “To Hack is to break through something, to find a new and more innovative solution, to break ground where no one has done so prior.” I learned that one of the main goals of Facebook is to break ground and constantly find new and creative ways to meet the desires and needs of their users. They are constantly studying their users to understand how to adapt their site and make to make it more appealing to their audience. The challenge with this concept is that what our young people want, is many times not what they need or should have. They may want to sent and look at inappropriate images without anyone knowing it’s them, but that is not something teenagers should be able to do.
I believe that “Hack” is important in answering my guiding questions because teenagers and youths are users of Facebook and other social media sites. As these different networks study their users, many of them youths, new apps and programs are arising to make communication faster, to enable kids to send pictures that disappear and to provide platforms to discuss different topics. Currently, Facebook is modifying it’s tools to allow users to respond to things they see by adding like, love, tears and other buttons you can press in response to what you see. This can be both a pro and a con in terms of youthful users. Sites can improve the ability for teens to communicate, but can also create apps that prevent kids form having accountability and to take responsibility for inappropriate pictures of comments posted.
Social Media Pros & Cons On Youth
Tartari, E. (2015). Benefits and risks of children and adolescents using social media. European Scientific Journal, (13), 321.
As social media networks are expanding and reaching young children, there are many different benefits and risks that these networks presents to our youth. This article examines the work of a number of different studies and gives an overview of the positive and negative affects of social media as it primarily addresses European adolescents between the ages of 11-16. A number of positive affects of social media were shown for the adolescents: increasing their communication abilities, getting information, developing their technical skills, and their ability to effectively use technology. The article also pinpoints risks, “On the other side, they are exposed to the risk of Facebook depression, cyberbullying, pornography, unsupervised social relations, privacy and security issues and online sexual harassments.” (Page, 321) The evidence and research noted in the article addresses three questions: What is social media? What do teenagers benefit from using social media? What are the risks teenagers faced by using social media?
I was blown away by some of the statistics presented throughout. For example, according to a report done for the European Union in 2014, 26% of kids aged 9-10 have a social networking profile, and 49% of kids aged 11-12. I knew that a large percentage of teenagers were connected to social media networks. However, according to this article, 26% of kids as young as 4th and 5th grade have a social media profile. This tells me that kids are beginning to use social media at younger and younger ages.
I was also able to identify that there are many benefits to social media use, if used wisely and appropriately. The article comments, “… the internet affords many opportunities for learning, entertainment, enrichment, and personal growth. Therefore, parents have a positive view of its use, and encourage children and adolescent to make judicious use of it.” (Page, 322) The article noted recent studies that have shown some benefits derived by social media use as teenagers have improved in their communication and social and emotional life. The article also quoted research conducted in 2008 that says, “Social Media may also provide a supportive environment for adolescents to explore romance, friendship, social status, and it provides teens the opportunity to share and discuss their musical tastes, knowledge of television and movies, video games, and the other aspects of adolescent culture” (Ito et al., 2008). Engaging on social media can also benefit teenagers views of self, community, and the world (Boyd D, 2007). “Again, social media sites allow teens to accomplish many online tasks which are important to them offline: staying connected with friends and family, making new friends, sharing pictures, and exchanging ideas” (O’Keeffe, G.S, Clarke-Pearson. K, 2011). The article even discussed ways that middle and high school students are using social media to connect over homework, group projects and to set up time to get together outside of class to collaborate and share ideas about assignments.
I also learned that many teens are unaware of how their use of social media puts their privacy at risk. The article states, “When Internet users visit various Websites, they can leave behind evidence of which sites they have visited. This collective, ongoing record of one’s Web activity is called the “digital footprint.” One of the biggest threats to young people on social media sites is that of their digital footprint and future reputations (O’Keeffe et al., 2011). Privacy and teens naiveté are becoming great issues surrounding social media and our youth. Overall this article was extremely helpful and directly addressed my guiding questions by naming a number of pros and cons of social media networks on our youth.
Social Influences and Cyberbullying
Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2013). Social influences on cyberbullying behaviors among middle and high school students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(5), 711-722.
Cyberbullying is a problem that is affecting an increasing number of our youth. However, it has not been clear what factors, besides the use of technology, have been contributing to the increase in the amount of cyberbullying taking place among our youth. Research has identified a number of real-world negative ramifications for both the targets and those who bully. “The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which peers, parents, and educators influence the cyberbullying behaviors of adolescents.” This study researched and analyzed a random sample of approximately 4,400 sixth through twelfth grade students (49% female; 63% nonwhite) from thirty-three schools in a large school district in the southern United States. The results of the study indicate that cyberbullying is associated with perceptions of peers behaving similarly, and the likelihood of adults to provide consequences and punishments. The study showed that youth who believed that a number of their friends were involved in bullying were more likely to have cyberbullying behaviors themselves. The study also showed that those who believed the adults in their life would punish them for cyberbullying were less likely to participate.
Through reading this study I was struck by how influenced youths are by their peers. A number of youths in the study went from being disturbed by cyberbullying and bullying in general, to exhibiting their own bullying behaviors in order to fit in and/or please their peers. In addition, I learned the importance of not only parent involvement, but of parents having consequences for bullying behavior. It was amazing to see how much student behaviors were influenced for the good, when they knew and believed they would be punished for such behavior. However, I also was wary of the motivation behind students lack of bullying. While it is important to stop bullying behavior, I also believe that it is important to then teach students how to develop care and empathy vs. teaching them not bullying out of fear. This study and the information from it help me to answer my guiding questions. Cyberbullying is not simply a result of students using social media, but it is a sign of their peer relationships and their parents involvement in their social media lives. Therefore, some of the negatives of social media aren’t only caused by social media use, but instead social media has become a platform to behave in bullying behavior to please peers.
Powerful Social Media Website
Hinduja, S.; Patchin, J. (2005). Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved July 4, 2016, from http://cyberbullying.org
The Cyberbullying Research Center put together a website that is thorough, reliable and helpful. The website has information and different sections for parents, teens and educators. In each of their different sections, one can access articles, books, and information that pertains to their interests and needs. For example, parents can find information on social media sites, the pros and cons of different sites, tips on how to help and advise their children, articles that address how to fight the negatives of social media with good, and articles on how to monitor their child’s use and how to protect their privacy. The website contains stories of cyberbullying, helpful events, a list of bullying and sexting laws that you can look up by state, a list of helpful journal articles, presentations given and available, a blog with helpful articles, a list of recommended books on different topics around social media bullying and use, and ways to contact the organization or join their monthly newsletters. The website is easy to navigate and extremely helpful.
I found the site helpful in terms of my own understanding of cyberbullying. The Research Center defines cyberbullying as the “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices”. They also add that it includes the following: hurtful comments, threats, rumors, pictures, or videos posted or circulated online; but must also a repeated offense and not an isolated incident. The site even gives definitions of willful, repeated, harm and electronic device. It is a very helpful definition for myself and many others, especially youths, to better understand what cyberbullying REALLy is verses their perceived definition. I also found the section about Laws very interesting. I wonder how many kids actually understand the consequences of bullying and sexting. This website creates a way to show students the laws and consequences in the state to which they live. This makes cyberbullying and sexting more than just a parents vs. kids topic, but an important legal topic that kids need to be aware of. In addition, I love that the site is not for or against social media, but it helps to develop awareness and the involvement of parents and schools in creating positive digital citizens out of our youth.
johnsonmat2016 