In today’s times, children spend most of their time on social media. Be it surfing the internet, playing online games or socializing on social networking sites. It is clear that social media greatly influences their thoughts and impacts their behaviour. It also shows how important social media is in the present times and the magnitude of impact it can have on our next generation’s lives.
Impacting their behaviour is a very powerful statement and can have long lasting effects on a child’s mind. Getting into a child’s brain and understanding the psychological aspect of it is very complex. Every child is different and thinks differently but social media impacts every child in one way or another and plays a significant role in their formative years.
A growing child will throughout have social media by his side, influencing his thoughts and leaving a profound effect on his young, curious mind. Talking about the effects of social media, as we are aware that there are two sides to the same coin, social media too has both, positive as well as negative consequences.
The positives are that children learn more about what is going on around the world and are up to date with regards to their knowledge. Also, social media platforms help them to voice their opinions on various social issues and give them food for thought. It can help in shaping their thought process and enhancing their intelligence quotient. This leads to the child making informed choices and taking decisions by properly analyzing facts. Being actively involved in social causes can lead to awakening among masses and children can be leaders in the future.
Coming to the negative side of social media, most children waste their time on social networking sites chatting with peers or playing addictive online games within their circle. This negatively affects their studies and also, proves to be detrimental to their physical and mental well-being in the long run. Violent and vulgar games greatly influence a child’s mental health and impact the society as a whole.
Children, who spend most of their time socializing online, do not venture extensively into outdoor sports due to which there is a damaging effect on their bodies leading to diseases like obesity at an early age. Also, over exposure to electronic screens can be devastating for the eyes due to the harmful radiations.
A child is like an earthen pot and needs to be carefully molded by the creator or the caretaker. Tremendous peer pressure and ever expanding technology are not the only reasons for rising social media influence on children. Parents too are equally to be blamed for this. This is because many parents as guardians, are not enough proactive while handling their children at a young age. They most of the times either, neglect their child because of being too busy with their work life or succumb to their child’s demands.
Youngsters keep pressurizing their parents for gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, I Pads and so on, owing to peer pressure. But the parents should be careful while making a decision and should properly convey it to their child that how excessive exposure to electronic gadgets will reduce their learning time and hence adversely impact their studies.
Moreover, a child will never be confident in facing people in reality if he spends all the time socializing online. To learn how to behave in public, people interaction is very crucial. It helps in enhancing one’s self-confidence and eventually, develops one’s self esteem.
Meeting people on a regular basis helps a child develop their ability to manage people at a young age. This is greatly beneficial for them in ensuring a glowing future for themselves. They can turn into brilliant managers and great leaders by managing people efficiently.
Technology, if used properly, can be very beneficial for the child’s growth and hence, the parents should monitor their child’s usage vigilantly. Parents should encourage their children to take part in outdoor activities so that they spend less time on electronic devices.
One should also remember that a social gathering in person is always going to lead to more constructive exchange of ideas and eventually going to be more fruitful rather than an online discussion on socially prevalent issues. Social media shapes a child’s thinking and is a major source of ideas for them in today’s world where everything is just one click away.
What we should never forget though is that everybody has to face challenges in the real world and not in the virtual world of social media. Effective decision making is what really counts and a person can take quick decisions only when he has an experience of dealing with real life situations.
Social media is a friend and not a foe if utilized properly and efficiently. It can be used as a platform by the children to unearth their hidden talents and showcase their skills. It should nurture a sense of competitive spirit within them so that they are ready to fulfill their potential to the fullest.
Social media is a great addition to our lives in modern times. But for it to remain like that, we need to be smart with our usage of it and not abuse it. Wise steps taken at ideal times can be generation defining for the children who have to make their future prosperous.
To sum it up, we may conclude that social media has far reaching impacts on a child’s brain and is a very effective way of learning. It can be a guiding force for every child to grow, develop and reach greater heights so that they can be responsible citizens for the society in the coming future.