Social media has been around since the early 2000s. Since then, billions of people have been using it. Social media can be used for both good and bad things. For example, many people use social media to make money, maybe by selling products they created or by making influencer videos. However, it can also be used inappropriately, which can put people in danger, especially if they aren’t old enough to understand what is happening. This is why I think parents should wait until their child is about 15 before they allow them to use social media.
I started using social media my 8th grade year, which I think is an appropriate age to start using it. However, I wasn’t ever warned about the bad things that could happen on social media until I came across them. I remember when I first got Snapchat- one of the most popular social media platforms- I added a bunch of random people that I didn’t know. I also had what is called “Snap Maps” activated, this made it so anyone I was friends with could see my location. My parents don’t know very much about social media either, so they had no idea that anyone could see my location. My friends would see it and ask what I was doing because they saw my location somewhere. It was honestly a little disturbing when someone would mention that they were checking my location even if it was someone I was friends with.
Both parents and children should know how social media works before using it. A lot of the time parents think social media is harmless or that their child is using it responsibly but there are so many things that could go wrong. This includes invasion of privacy, cyberbullying, identity theft, and the child seeing offensive images or messages. Children can also be pressured to send explicit messages and photos by people their age or much older.
Cyberbullying is so common on social media, mainly because it can be more difficult to stop than physical bullying because it’s hidden. In many situations, cyberbullying can result in kids feeling depressed, which can lead to more serious things such as self harm. Alot of the time, parents have no idea their child is being bullied on social media, so there is no way for them to stop it. Almost all forms of bullying peak in middle school, which is why I think children shouldn’t start using social media at least until high school.
Identity theft is another issue that can come from social media, especially when someone posts everything about their life it’s easy for another person to mimic them. Anyone on social media can make a fake account imitating someone else and post anything they want. Children especially should have private accounts on all social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. They also shouldn’t accept follow requests from people they don’t know.
I know from personal experience how many inappropriate and offensive photos and videos go around the internet. Children should not be seeing things like that at such a young age. Overall, I think parents should wait until their child is in high school before they let them start using social media. They also should have parent controls that allow them to know what their children are doing on social media so they can protect them. I think this will make things a lot more safe for children.