The Impact Of Social Media Among Elementary-Aged Children

    Elementary-aged children having a social media account sounds odd, but this could soon be the new norm. Children managing their own social media doesn’t trouble many, but the unwanted impacts are devastating. Social media usage among elementary-age children has negative health impacts on their development. The use of social media among elementary-age children has increased, causing cognitive impairment, emotional depression and physical obesity. Information on children using social media under the age of 12 is fairly new, however, people still need to understand that elementary-aged children with social media accounts can have a disastrous impact. Parents and individuals need to be aware of these dangerous impacts of social media before it’s too late. 

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The Increase Use Of Technology Devices Among Children: 

    Technology has come a long way from the last 10 years; computers, television, cell phones have become more innovative and advanced. Technology has become a vital component changing the way children interact. Children are becoming more and more drawn into the world of digital media and now social media. For example, “A study conducted in 2017 showed that almost a quarter (23%) of children aged 8-11 years old… have at least one social media account” (Hadjipanayis et al. 1606). This means that children, particularly elementary-aged children, currently have a social media account. This is alarming considering the appropriate age to obtain one is usually 13. For most social media apps, you have to be at least 13 years of age to get an account like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The numbers among children are only going to increase in the next few years. As a result, children will begin experiencing the unhealthy mental, emotional, and physical impacts of social media.

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The Mental Health Impacts: 

    Social Media usage among elementary-aged children can cause mental impacts on their brain. During the early years of development, the brain is developing the most crucial parts of our mental capabilities. Dr. Keith Black is a chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, who studies the effects of radiation. Dr. Black states “Children’s skulls and scalps are thinner. The radiation can penetrate deeper into the brain of children and young adults” (Kardaras 129-130). This is important because electronic radiation from a screen can damage the development and activity of brain cells. Mental problems increase when a child is on their device for a long time causing continuous exposure to digital light. With social media added it will keep children embedded on their device and worsen their exposure to radiation.

    In the book Glow Kids, by author Nicholas Kardaras he speaks with Dr. Victoria Dunckley, who works with many kids and coined the term Electronic Screen Syndrome. She defines ESS as “a disorder of dysregulation; that is, an inability in children to modulate their moods, attention or level of arousal in an appropriate or healthy manner” (Kardaras 116). During her discovery “Dr. Dunckley came to believe that the unnaturally stimulating nature of an electronic screen, regardless of its content, wreaks havoc on the still-developing nervous system and mental health of a child on a variety of levels-cognitive, behavioral and emotional” (Kardaras 115-116). This shows that a single electronic screen damages the development of several health functions. It seems the more kids are drawn to their electronic screens the more exposure to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional damage they will acquire. In terms of children with social media accounts their mental and cognitive abilities will receive a direct hit. If children are on a device now and are having trouble detaching, think of how much harder it will be if they have a social media platform. The mental impacts on kids using social media and electronic devices is detrimental to their mental health.

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The Emotional Health Impacts:

    Many clinical disorders and emotional impacts like suicide come from primarily too much screen time. The risks are too dire to be ignored by parents of elementary-aged children. Exposure to screens produces disorders like “ADHD, depression, oppositional defiant disorder and anxiety” (Kardaras 116). Most of these disorders can impact children well into adulthood. In part, “Six million kids have been diagnosed with ADHD” (Kardaras 122). This shocking statistic suggest more and more kids are on an electronic device. The excitement of a videogame or television show makes it hard for kids to focus and sit still, increasing the risk for ADHD. When social media is added, their inability and excitement to know what others are up to will only increase their risk for ADHD and other clinical and emotional disorders. 

    As internet use increases among children it has been found to cause depression. In a study done at Missouri State University in 2012 “216 kids showed that 30 percent of Internet users showed signs of depression and that the depressed kids were the most intense Web users” (Kardaras 127). Kids who spend more time on the internet are more susceptible to depression. Depression is a serious mental illness that should not be ignored especially among elementary aged children. If kids are getting depressed just by being on the internet, think of how much worse it will be if they obtain a social media account.

    Oppositional defiant disorder is common when most children would rather stay on an electronic device then listen to their parents which causes disobedient and aggressive behavior. In Glow Kids a boy named Mikey was always fixated on his electronic devices but, it altered his behavior. For example, “In the year before he was treated, the fifth-grader had become increasingly resistant to doing homework and had become more and more oppositional and defiant. If he was told “no” about anything -especially regarding his electronics- he would fly into a rage[....] In addition, his oppositional behavior had started to escalate, and his violent rages increased and had become more violent. Although bipolar disorder was discussed as a possible diagnosis, there was no history of it in his family” (Kardaras 117). This is an example of how kids can become so attuned to technology that their behavior can be altered. Eventually, his behavior worsened becoming too much for his parents to handle. In this case social media will be no different because of its desiring effects to distract kids from reality.  

    Anxiety in terms of social media use occurs when a child's identity is being influenced. In a past study, in the book Handbook of Children and the Media, social media was found to encourage a child’s identity formation but may also be dangerous if the child overworks it.  For example, “In their study, Harman, Cochran, and Lindsey (2005) found that children who reported the most faking behaviors on the internet… had poorer social skills, lower levels of self-esteem, and higher levels of aggression” (Singer and Singer 105). Children who pretend to be someone else with a different identity have more emotional problems like anxiety because children are still discovering who they are. Acquiring many identities can become overwhelming for kids especially when it’s applied to social media where there will be more unwanted and unintended effects.

    Social media can also lead to suicide and have emotional impacts. It may be hard to believe that an elementary-aged child would take his/her own life because of their interactions with social media but it is not uncommon. Bullying is one of the main causes. Many things can lead to suicide “...anytime that a person takes their own life there necessarily has to be an emotional or psychiatric vulnerability that can make a person more susceptible to negative outcomes if triggered by social media shaming or bullying” (Kardaras 100). An emotional or psychiatric strain from social media or bullying can lead an individual to do the unthinkable. Social media can have its benefits, but it can also have its disadvantages of making children feel underappreciated.

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The Physical Health Impacts:

    Loss of sleep and obesity are common issues that can be harmful to a child’s physical health. With the increase in inactivity, just like adults, kids are likely to stay up on devices and lose much needed hours of sleep. In a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, media consumption of American teenagers from 8 to 18 years old “spend an average of more than 7.5 hours a day and seven days a week on social media- more time than any other activity besides (maybe) sleeping” (Singer and Singer 97). The increase in digital devices have kids staying up much later, impacting their well-being, sleep schedule, and daily routine activities. These problems will only increase when social media is added. 

     Social media increases obesity in children. Obesity is linked to elementary-aged children having a social media account. Social media, tv watching, and game-playing are linked to children being too lazy to get up and move. For example, “Research associates heavy media use with the risk of obesity, and, clearly, hours in front of a screen means less time for physical activity” (Singer and Singer 664). Lack of movement can certainly impact nutrition and cause the body to decrease in health. Obesity can impact a child well into adulthood leading to more critical and deadly health problems. These physical consequences are just the beginning of many more social media impacts bound to happen.

 

Parental Concerns of Social Media:

    Increased social media use among elementary children draws fear among parents and family members. Parents are concerned about cyberbullying, sex predators, and family separation. These are just some of the concerns that parents are worried about within the world of social media. In terms of cyberbullying “kids who are bullied may avoid going to school, have trouble concentrating in class, or even drop out of school” (Moreno). Cyberbullying can impact a child negatively and hinder their schooling. Now that elementary-aged children have social media accounts they are even more prone due to their vulnerable age of cyberbullying and its disastrous effects. 

    Now that social media is making it easier to stay connected and communicate it also gives potential predators access to communicate with anyone especially young children and girls. Individuals are, “No longer limited to luring victims in the street, sexual predators and sex traffickers can now message thousands of young girls through Instagram, Facebook, Kik, Tagged, and Twitter, with a growing trend toward WhatsApp and Snapchat where messages evaporate over time, thus erasing the predator’s electronic trail” (Kardaras 103). This shows that the communication has evolved. Parents need to be more aware of whom their children are communicating with over the internet, not all kids are aware of whom they’re talking too especially when it comes to the internet. 

    Social media is also a concern for family separation among parents. The increased use in social media or any digital device causes rifts within the family because the whole narrative of socializing has been moved online. Dr. Rebekah Pierro, a professor from the Human Development and Family Studies Department at University of North Carolina at Greensboro states, “Something that is meant to connect people causes inattention in the real world and a lack of connection in the real world”. Social media is supposed to help us stay connected instead it depresses our mood and deletes the face to face socialization of friends and family. This is most vital to children because if they are exposed to communication online or social media at an early age it would be hard for them to quit. 

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Why Some Parents Think Children Should Have A Social Media: 

    Despite all the health impacts, some parents still think social media is appropriate for elementary-aged children. There are many articles and websites out there that highlight the positives and benefits your child can gain through social media. Healthy Children.org is a site that has some articles on why social media is beneficial. The teachers of teachthought.com, see pros such as  “working knowledge of digital patterns, exposure to fake news, the possibility of healthier connections/ role models if in a toxic situation at home” (Teach Thought Staff). However, kids still fall victim to the world of social media usage. These factors are useful should you allow your child to have a social media account, but the negatives far outweigh the benefits. Abstaining from allowing your child to have social media is the best option to prevent damage to their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. 

    In a fieldwork assignment, I observed a Reddit page titled “I DON’T WANT MY KIDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA” about a mother who refuses to let her 10 and 7-year-old have social media. The comments by other parents and individuals were in agreeance saying too young is too young. For example, an individual posted “I don’t have children but if I did, I would not want them on social media...It’s a scary world out there and your kids are not mature to understand the long-term consequences of their online activity…(Reddit). Children should not have social media because they are too young to know what they are getting into. The longer you wait to allow your kids to have a social media account the better off they will be. The impacts mentioned throughout this paper are meant to inform parents and individuals that social media usage among elementary-aged children are harmful and detrimental to a child’s overall health and development. 

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Conclusion:

    Social media usage is too perplexing for a child who is still in elementary school. Social media at a young age can increase the probability of emotional, physical, and mental health impacts that can hinder development. While others agree that having social media at a young age is beneficial, there comes many concerns and risks that come with a social media account. Social media can have positive impacts as well as negative impacts, but the health and development risk far outweighs its positives. Parents should consider not allowing their kids to have social media and if they do to closely monitor their child’s social media activity. A social media account can have many effects, but the younger a child is the more damaging impacts it can have.