Is Social Media Corrupting Young Brains?

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image credited to Aaliyah C.

Current technology allows students to use electronics for both studying and fun.

Hailey M., Writer

Whether we talk to our friends on Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter, the way we interact with others has definitely changed. With all of the current forms of technology, we seldom communicate face to face, but rather within our phones and apps. I know, shocking! Every once in awhile, you will see that seven-year old walking around playing Talking Tom with his iPhone, and you’ll recall back to when you were his age and were kicked outside to play with a ball. Ah…the good old days!  Every day, more and more kids under thirteen interact with communication apps. Is social media corrupting their developing brains?

A couple of years ago, social media was more commonly used by older teens and young adults. Nobody ever thought a ten-year old would have any use for an app. Daily Mail claims, “More than half of children have used an online social network by the age of 10.” Would you let your eight-year-old self post selfies on Instagram? How about allowing your five-year-old self post viral Musical.lys? Pretty crazy, right? According to the 2015 online article, Guard Child, more than 25% of online users were under the age of ten. Young teenagers claim some of them can handle the responsibility of having social media, but are we sure that kids like you and I can handle these digital distractions?`

Daily Mail declares studies have shown that the average person spends more time on their phone than sleeping. That could explain the some of those black circles around our eyes. Parents and teachers also claim that apps can distract their kid’s focus on school and cause their grades to drop at a very surprising level. On top of that, since kids are more focused on social media, they become less active and their social skills start to decline. The Telegraph states, “While 12 percent of children who spend no time on social networking websites have symptoms of mental ill-health, the figure rises to 27 percent for those who are glued to the sites for three hours or more a day.”

On the other side of the argument, some students claim that they use the apps to talk about school assignments. Google Classroom and Docs are quite popular among schoolfriendly apps. “59% of students with access to the Internet report that they use social networking sites to discuss educational topic,” according to Social Networking. Social media can also bring awareness to teens and kids. Anything important happening in the Capitol, bam, you already have the article right there on your phone. Information can spread faster online and anybody can learn about breaking news. Over 50% of people learn about current events on social media. Every now and then, you will see a video of an adorable puppy, and the next day it’s on Fox 11 morning news, attempting to bring a smile to your face, positively affecting the ugh it’s Monday feeling when the alarm went off. The point is, communication has changed, from turtle slow to rabbit fast.

In addition, these apps can help express feelings and opinions on worldwide events-which can create a sense of belonging and security. Social Networking states that “more than 25% of teens report that social networking makes them feel less shy, 28% report feeling more outgoing, and 20% report feeling more confident.” Teens can learn from the many points of view that are provided on social media. So they aren’t just getting one side of the story, but multiple viewpoints. The diversity of perspectives can help readers find their voices on specific subjects.