Social Media is taking a role in everybody’s life nowadays and people have been getting more and more obsessed as the days go by. In this generation, teenagers are now considered as digital natives, meanwhile past generations are digital immigrants. The internet is the majority form of communication that teenagers know, use and understand. Not many grew up with LAN lines, whereas today social media offers online platforms that allow users to create and share content. This includes social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter in addition to media sharing sites like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.
I have a large age range of cousins from 7 years old to 19 years old, on social media and who participate in online gaming on a daily basis.
House Bill 3914, authored by State Rep. from Oklahoma named Chad Caldwell would limit social media accounts for minors requiring account holders be at least 18 years old, or have parental consent for those aged 16 to 18
During my last year at school, I observed classmates using their mobile devices and engaging in multiple platforms of social media throughout the school day. I recently heard that Governor Gavin Newsome of California would like to ban the use of cell phones during school hours. He feels that students should focus on learning in the classroom. At home I am allowed 5 hours per day of online gaming. It has been an adjustment to reduce my online gaming time, as I attempt to adhere to the surgeon general’s recommendation of 3 hours per day.
There are a number of ways that teens get exposed to social media. Most kids are given mobile devices as toddlers from their parents. As children grow into adolescence, they download social media platforms by apps. Others receive suggestions from friends, while some discover it on their own through online games and activities. Once they have been exposed to it, teens are often drawn to social media because it gives them a way to connect with their peers, share their thoughts and experiences with like minded friends.
While watching a news article from ABC, the surgeon general Vivek Murthy, is warning parents about the impacts of social media on their kids. In a recent NY Time article, Mr. Vivek Murthy is calling for the warning label on platforms stating that “social media is associated with significant mental health.” The surgeon general states that young people who spend more than three hours per day on social media are two times more at risk for developing anxiety or depression.
State senator Nancy Skinner of California believes that when kids are on social media all day long it affects their health, so she created a bill aimed at protecting kids from social media addiction called SB 976. Another medical professional, Katheleen Ethier, Director, CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health, suggests that young people find a trusted adult in their community to communicate with. She also urges parents to pay attention and ask good questions to their teen and take notice if they’re behaving differently.
I conducted an interview with my 19 year old cousin Tanner Frank, who attends The University of Oklahoma and writes for the OU Daily and is majoring in Journalism. I also interviewed my 14 year old friend Georgia about using social media and the dangers of it.
The first time we spoke about social media, you mentioned that “It fry’s kids brains”. Can you elaborate on this statement for me?
Tanner – When I say “fry kid’s brains” I mean it makes it so a kid can’t go so long without social media or their brains are hot wired to the pace of social media they start to get used to the fast pace of it and in the real world, they can start to lose patience”
Approximately how many hours are you on social media in a day?
Tanner – I’m on social media for about 2-3 hours a day.
Georgia – “I am allowed to have two hours a day of screen time but usually, I will be on social media for three hours because my parents add more screen time!”
Have you noticed any dangers of being online as a young adult, such as you encountering any danger or rude comments on your social media accounts?
Tanner – Yes it’s all around. Mean comments and “social bullying” is everywhere whether it’s towards yourself or not.
Georgia – For me, there’s no danger but I’ve seen other people have dangerous situations like death threats or doxing. Thankfully, I have zero rude comments but if I do, which is very rare, I can delete them.
What do you think about medical professionals and the surgeon general providing a warning to youth and their parents about the danger?
Tanner- “The surgeon general providing the warning is justified.”
Georgia- “I think it is good to give a warning. Other kids’ parents should have a regulation on what kids view and post on social media.”
Do you ever worry about child exploitation?
Georgia- I do worry about child exploitation because I’ve seen some serious situations where kids were forced to make content and in a very inhumane way and their parents abused them.
Here are the ways we can have a positive social media experience
