How Young is Too Young?

How Young is Too Young?  The Effects of Social Media and Excessive Technology Use on Youth

By: Sudiksha Shrimali

Image by: Alec Couros (Flickr)

BUT, despite this…

Did you know that the minimum age to create

accounts on social media websites is 13 years? Source: Pediatrics Publication

Image by: Chris Messina (Flickr)

Image by: Juan Iraola (Flickr)

Many children younger than 13 are heavily involved with social media.

A 2011 

Consumer Reports survey claimed

there were 

7.5 million

underage Facebook members,

two-thirds of which were

10 or younger.

Source: Coming of Age in the Digital Age Image by: Tela Chhe (Flickr)

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Adolescents now

use technology

to create an online presence

and advance their social life instead of needing

it as a tool for communicating with family in

emergencies.

Image by: Oast House Archive (Google Advanced Image Search)

Since technology is relatively new, there is not substantial data on the effect that it has on youth…

…but researchers have determined that excessive use of

technology has developmental consequences.

Image by: Oberazzi

Ongoing

research

has determined that

preadolescents and

adolescents’

excessive use of social media

results in…

Image by: Carmen Herrera (Google Advanced Image Search)

1. A lack of social skills and deteriorating

relationships with family members.

Image by: LuisArmandoRasteletti (Flickr)

Image by: marc falardeau (Flickr)

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If people spend too much time on technology, and

less time interacting with people like parents at the dinner

table, that could hinder the development of certain communications skills.

– Dr. Small Source: The Child, the Tablet and the Developing Mind

Image by: Mo Riza (Flickr)

“���My students tell me about an important new skill: it involves maintaining eye contact with

someone while you text someone else; it’s hard, but it can be done.

– Sherry Turkle

Source: The Flight from Conversation

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Adolescents’

increasing proficiency with technology

makes it

difficult for some parents to

relate to their children.

Source: Pediatrics Publication

Image by: AspireYouth (Google Advanced Image Search)

Source: Pediatrics Publication Image by: Alex Bowyer (Flickr)

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The end result is often a knowledge and technical skill gap between parents and youth,

which create a disconnect in how these parents and youth participate in the online world together.

2. “Internet addiction” results in sleep deprivation,

which negatively impacts academics for these adolescents.

Source: Pediatrics Publication Image by: Kelly L (Google Advanced Image

Search)

It's just part of life now. Everyone's about the same now

when it comes to their phones -- they're on them a lot.

– Donald Conkey, high school sophomore Source: More Youth Use Smartphones to Log Online

Image by: Angi English (Flickr)

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This technology addiction is getting extreme.

I've had students tell me that they bring their cell phones in

the shower with them. They sleep with them.

– Professor Groening Source: More Youth Use Smartphones to Log Online

Image by; Steven Depolo (Flickr)

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The occasional day where my phone isn't charged or I

leave it behind, it feels almost as though I'm naked in public.

– Michael Weller, high school senior  

Many adolescents share the same view as Michael

Weller. They feel lost without their cellphones. Source: More Youth Use Smartphones to Log Online

Image by: Collin Key (Flickr)

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This technology

addiction compels adolescents to text and go online during class,

diverting their

focus from

academics.

Image by: LizMarie (Flickr)

3. More susceptible to to Internet related issues:

Cyberbullying “Facebook Depression” Sexting Source: Pediatrics Publication

Image by: James Phillips (Flickr)

Cyberbullying is quite common, can occur to any

young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial

outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and, tragically, suicide.

Source: Pediatrics Publication

Image by: Tom Marsh (Flickr)

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Sexting is a phenomenon that occurs among

the teen population; a recent survey revealed that

20% of teens have sent or posted nude or seminude photographs or videos of

themselves.

Source: Pediatrics Publication

Image by: masaki ikeda (Google Advanced Image Search)

Finally, the new idea of “Facebook depression,”

occurs when adolescents who use social media sites

very often start displaying traditional depression symptoms.

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These adolescents

are “at risk for social isolation and sometimes turn to risky Internet sites and blogs for ‘help’ that may promote

substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or

aggressive or self-destructive behaviors.”

Source: Pediatrics Publication Image by: epSos.de (Flickr)

The naivety of these youth and lack of proper

conversation with others encourages them to not only believe what they read on social media sites, but also

post details about their life and current situations.

Image by: GETTY (Google Advanced Image Search)

Source: Coming of Age in the Digital Age Image by: Michael Mandiberg

“���When we talk about kids being active online, the

worry is less about what and with whom they are

sharing their lives than what hidden data their

participation generates that can be exploited by others.

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At age 13 and younger, are individuals really able to

understand the effects that social media and excessive use of technology can have toward their

futures?

Image by: David Mican (Flickr)

Credits  

All images were found either on Flickr (with a Creative Commons License) or

the Google Advanced Image Search (with the usage rights criteria being “free to use share or modify”). Any information without a source stated is based on my own interpretation of a point and not any direct information from a source.

Work Cited ���Bilton, Nick. “The Child, the Tablet, and the Developing Mind”. The New York Times. 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/disruptions-what-does-a-tablet-do-to-the-childs-mind/> ��� ���Clark-Pearson, Kathleen and Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe. “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families”. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.full> ��� ���Irvine, Martha. “More youth use smartphones to log online: U.S. report”. CTV News. 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.ctvnews.ca/more-youth-use-smartphones-to-log-online-u-s-report-1.1193559#ixzz2Qnxqu5cd> ��� ���Makice, Kavin. “Coming of Age in the Digital Age”. Wired.com. 2 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2013/02/coming-of-age-in-the-digital-age> ��� ���Turkle, Sherry. "The Flight From Conversation". The New York Times. 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>��� ������ Image by: kshelton (Pixabay – Google

Advanced Image Search)