Why Social Media is Not Smart for Middle School Kids
There is extreme pressure on parents to give their kids cellphones, often starting as early as six years old. And as soon as they get a smartphone, they are getting access to social media. That’s when the big trouble begins. As they say “little people, little problems – big people, big problems.” Funny thing is they are still little people and the smartphones are little devices but they sure can cause really big problems.
As Melanie Hemp, RN, reports in Psychology Today, “Tweens’ brains are simply too immature to use social media appropriately.”
Social media was not designed for them.
Social media is an entertainment technology.
A tween’s ‘more is better’ mentality is a dangerous match for social media.
Social media is an addictive form of screen entertainment.
Social media replaces learning the hard social ‘work’ of dealing face-to-face with peers.
Social media can cause teens to lose connection with family and instead view “friends” as their foundation.
Social media use represents lost potential for teens.
How can kids slow down? Psychology Today suggests:
Delay Access
Follow their Accounts
Create Family Accounts
Allow social media only on large screens
Keep a sharp eye on the clock: they will not
Plan face-to-face time with their friends
Spend more real non-tech time together
And we would add, use SocialNationU.com blog, resources, and classes to stay up to date on new apps and challenges as well as the best common-sense 11 step safety plan.