Social media and young people
It took me just 10 seconds of browsing on Twitter to see a tweet by an adult that seemed to have been written to ridicule. Most of us who spend any time at all on the main social media sites will be used to seeing people behaving with more animosity than they would in a real life situation. But is it inevitable that these public spaces have to be toxic? And how can schools help children to enjoy - and gain from - what they have to offer?
Numerous research studies and surveys reveal just how challenging social media can be for young people. While most social media sites have a lower age limit of 13, it is clear that children far younger (one survey found that 33% 7–9-year-olds use social media apps) are exposed to social media.
Identifying issues
It is no secret that people tend to use social media to present themselves or their work in the best light possible. Many share what they want to be seen and hide what they don’t want to be seen. It is particularly hard for children and young people to resist being seduced by such a cleansed view of life. This can lead to low self-esteem, increased anxiety, poor concentration, low mood and so on.
In addition, there are the risks associated with having online friendships, cyberbullying, targeted marketing, viral trends that promote dangerous behaviour, and online predators to name just a few.
Highlighting the benefits
It’s wrong to label social media as all bad. It can be informative, educational, fun, it can help people connect with one another in a busy world, to learn about local events, to find others who are similar to them, and it can help people to relax. There is much to commend it.
Helping children to understand these benefits can help them to see the breadth that it offers. Used wisely, it can enhance a life, as long as we are alert to the potential harm that can happen, and know how and when to moderate use. Simple challenges for those who do use social media can help this process. For example, to learn something new or to post something informative (and true!).
How schools can help
The knee-jerk reaction in the face of the apparent mounting risks of social media might sensibly be to discourage use, and that is absolutely the right thing for those who are underage. But for those who are old enough to use social media sites, knowing how to navigate them safely so that the benefits can be gleaned but not the potential substantial risks is essential. Here’s how schools can help:
- Talk about social media: Ignoring social media in the hope it will go away may seem tempting when you are sorting out yet more fall out from children’s online lives, but it really is counterproductive. We need to talk about social media; the risks and the benefits, the pitfalls and the fun. What are children looking at? What do they need to be aware of?
- Encourage the limiting of screen time: Set activities and challenges that do not require screens to encourage a greater reliance on pastimes that are not dependent on social media sites.
- Advise parents to monitor usage: Particularly where you have concerns, parents are a key element in supporting children to use social media moderately and wisely. Monitoring usage and encouraging children to turn to other hobbies to avoid wasting hours on social media just might help.
- Privacy matters: Oversharing personal information on social media is not uncommon and it can be hard for children to know when to draw the line. But this information may be used with ill-intent or may surface in years to come to embarrassing effect. Making sure children know how to protect their privacy online is essential, as is helping parents to oversee privacy settings on devices.
- Reputational damage: It is not unusual for employers to trawl social media sites to ensure that prospective employees don’t have an online life at odds with their values. What might seem like a laugh now could come back to haunt young people when their reputation matters most. Getting this message across could not be more important.
- Time and energy: Social media is an energy drainer. It sucks time from other activities and can be the cause of good moods and bad. Helping children to spend their time wisely and to understand that if they weren’t on social media there are many other things they could be doing is important. Just because many people are watching the latest offerings from this influencer or that does not mean that everyone must. Giving children the confidence to prioritise other hobbies over social media helps them to make choices.
- Critical thinking skills: it’s not unrealistic or unfair to say that not all posts on social media are true. Far from it. Being able to spot misinformation is absolutely key to positive use of social media. Helping children and young people to think critically about what they see and hear online is an important step on this journey. Critical thinking across the curriculum will help.
- Kindness matters: “would you say that to their face?” is a great question to ask before posting anything on social media. Kindness really matters. There have been far too many incidents of children and young people being devastated by cruel words and actions, sometimes with tragic consequences. Encouraging children to be absolutely clear about not posting potentially harmful content is key. This cannot be stressed enough.
- Stranger danger: knowing exactly who you are communicating with is fundamental to online safety. Encourage children and their parents to use all the online safeguarding tools available to them.
Find out more…
- Keeping children safe online | NSPCC
- Homepage - UK Safer Internet Centre
- Staying safe online | Childline
- Online safety - BBC Teach
- Understanding how to keep children safe online - Ofcom
About the author
Elizabeth Holmes
After graduating with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading, Elizabeth Holmes completed her PGCE at the Institute of Education, University of London. She then taught humanities and social sciences in schools in London, Oxfordshire and West Sussex, where she ran the history department in a challenging comprehensive. Elizabeth specialises in education but also writes on many other issues and themes. As well as her regular blogs for Eteach and FEjobs, her books have been published by a variety of publishers and translated around the world. Elizabeth has also taught on education courses in HE and presented at national and international conferences.