Negative Effects of Social Media on Students: How to Guide Kids Towards Healthy Screen Habits

Introduction

With multiple social media platforms now available online, kids are exposed to a juggernaut of social media content all at once. While social media has a lot of benefits such as keeping people updated about what's happening in the country and around the world and keeping people connected, it can also pose a lot of threats. Kids are one of the most vulnerable sections of society and can come under the target of a lot of scammers and hackers present on social media.

Now, even though most of these applications require the user to be of a certain age limit, many young kids are easily able to save fake ages into the database and create an account for themselves. This exposes them to a lot of adult and violent content that can have negative implications on a child's mind. Also spending too much time on social media can impact a child's ability to concentrate on studies and sleep properly.

Negative Implications of Social Media

Here are some of the negative aspects of social media, and why kids should stay away from such platforms till a certain age.

• Cyberbullying

Social media is a platform where people from all across the world can come in contact with each other. While this makes the world a smaller place to live in, it also poses a significant threat to the safety and data security of the users. Kids are generally targeted by such illegal groups operating on social media. A child might get harassed on the internet and receive threats that may disturb their mental health. Passing hate through social media is also very easy with the help of anonymous accounts. Such hate-based content may scare a child's self-image.

• Body Image Issues

There are several social media influencers including actors, models, and other such people who regularly post their pictures. A large proportion of the teenage population follows these people and considers them as their ideals. Looking at the filtered and edited images of these people, a child may constantly feel the pressure of abiding by the societal standards of beauty. Not being able to look a certain way may make them feel highly depressed and isolated. It can also cause health issues.

• Viral Trends

From time to time, several social media trends become famous over the internet. Many of these trends are extremely dangerous and encourage people to do stunts that may lead to hospitalization, police arrest and can even be fatal. Seeing the social media validation that such trends receive, a child may feel persuaded to try out these viral trends. These may pose a significant mental as well as physical risk to the child.

• Sleep Disturbance

Constant involvement on social media may make a child scroll endlessly through hours and hours. This may make a child highly anxious and depressed while messing up with their sleep pattern. Not being able to sleep properly hampers a child's academic performance and can also lead to health ailments in the long run.

Tips for Parents to Guide Kids Towards Healthy Screen Habits

Here is a list of some tips that parents can follow to guide their kids towards healthier screen habits.

• Using Technology for Good

Parents must try to use technology in a better and more resourceful manner for kids. Instead of social media apps, children should be encouraged to play educational games, listen to podcasts, or watch scientific shows that can help them with their studies and development. There is a lot of material available online that kids may refer to for enhanced and more integrative learning. This way, the child can use technology, but only for beneficial purposes.

• Create Phone Free Zones

Instead of banning the use of social media, you may take small steps at a time. For instance, you can ban the use of phones in certain areas or during specific periods at your house. Children should be encouraged not to use phones while having meals or during family time. Similarly, while studying, any type of disturbances such as mobile phones or tablets must be kept at a distance until required for study purposes. This helps in establishing a sense of restraint and control without totally snatching the right to use social media from the child.

• Promote Holistic Schedule

When a child indulges in multiple types of activities throughout the day, they naturally get very less time to use the phone and social media. As parents, you can try to structure the routine of your child in a way where they get to play, study, take part in recreational activities, spend time with parents, and so much more. This leaves a very brief window for the child to use mobile phones and operate social media.

• Have Healthy Conversations

By fostering a positive environment at home, parents can create a lot of differences in a child's life and their habit of using social media. A child might use excessive social media because of isolation in real life. However, if a child has proper support and guidance in real life, then they don't have to look for support at other places. Kind words from parents and continuous appreciation help in developing high confidence among kids.

Conclusion

Letting kids use social media without any adult supervision and restriction can be harmful to a child's physical and mental health. By adopting mindful measures and through continuous attention, parents can ensure that their child uses digital devices more prudently and doesn't end up in any kind of virtual trouble.