How true the statement is that social media is negatively influencing our kids? Well, I guess it’s not entirely true. Teenagers are using social media accounts for more than just sharing memes, photos or for watching videos. But today, we are particularly going to talk about teen girls due to a recent incident, where a young girl couldn’t take social media bullying and took her own life.
Cyberbullying is one of the perverse effects of social media and if you are thinking that the aforementioned news was just an anomaly, you might want to reconsider that. Studies have proven that people (and not just kids) who frequently use social media are more vulnerable to depression and loneliness. And if you haven’t noticed, girls are spending more time on their social media accounts than the boys.
Why are teen girls more susceptible to the negative effects of social media?
Teen girls can’t really keep the divide between their online and offline world and that’s when things get worse. Therefore, any form of bullying affects them just like it would in their real world. The consequences magnify when they are bullied by the same people who they know at their school or in the neighborhood.
Most of us, in fact, almost everyone of us are using social media these days, and we all strive hard keep our online persona which is a lot different from how we actually are in the real world. Teenage girls are more particular about their online reputation. They are more concerned with how to present themselves through, photos, videos or status updates. They use filters, take really nice photos and pay a lot of attention to every Like and Comment.
Social media is supposed to be fun and interactive, but it only stays like that if no one is hurt. Young girls can’t take criticism quite well and if those nasty comments persist over their social networks it becomes difficult for them to ignore and move on.
What can parents do about it?
There is a link between depression, social media and ultimately suicide, but that doesn’t mean your kids should immediately be disconnected from the internet. Consider doing the following:
- Keep a close check on your kids’ social media and know what others are talking about them. You can use TrackMYFone to monitor your child’s social media accounts and check if they aren’t bullied by anyone.
- Promote a healthier offline social network so that your kids don’t rely on social media for entertaining themselves. Kids who are successful in their offline world have more resilience and confidence.
- Lastly, you need to talk to your child about online threats. As a parent, you should tell your child how they can respond to online bullying and why ignoring offensive comments is a better stance than to reacting. Your kids won’t talk to you about these issues, so you will have to break the ice.
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