Social Media and Social Development Paper Example

Introduction

Childhood behaviors always affect the later developments of a child. One of the prevalent childhood behaviors that is always evident is the use of social media. The technological era brings forth a myriad of benefits and shortcomings. Children, for example, are much consumed into the internet and social media. Today, it is common to see children spend most of their time on social websites. Social media is an imperative piece of socialization within peer groups however at this point it is utilized to advertise and inspire individuals to turn into a piece of a bigger network. It is unquestionably changing the manner in which one imparts and how one finds and exchanges information. Most sites offer correspondence using Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and numerous different blog groups. With new applications on cell phones and photography and video made computerized, media can be made, altered, and shared rapidly and once it is in this new advanced cloud everyone can easily see them. Through these new advances in innovation, children get to share things about themselves to the world to see, and preceding web-based social networking one would need to convey and share physically. However, experts claim that social media has a negative effect on the development of children's social skills. As they say, the fewer face to face interactions is what makes children lack social skills. The paper discusses social media and social development in children. It supports the thesis that social media has a negative effect on children because it hinders the development of their social skills.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Negative Effects of Social Media on Children

Social and Emotional Development

Koutamanis, Vossen, and Valkenburg's (2015) looked into the association between social and emotional development in pre-adulthood to web-based life. They trust that negative criticism through web based life is probably going to happen, which can affect pre-adult social improvement, since social acceptance and endorsement among their peers is pivotal in the advancement of their self-worth. During the online networking, many children get negative feedbacks and comments on their online profiles and their confidence are highly crushed. Koutamanis et al (2015) overviewed 785 young people and estimated youths' recurrence of getting antagonistic online comments and feedback. They found that children who were depicted as having less secure online conduct were bound to get negative criticism. Also, they found a gender difference. Age was identified with an expanded online social investigation, which came about into progressively negative feedback, yet there was no connection among age and unsafe online self-introduction, such as posting pictures while drinking or smoking. Koutamanis et al. (2015) trusted that their examination adds to the developing assortment of research and results managing social media use and negative feedback, while stressing that it is imperative to concentrate on the conduct and other individual perspectives that may prompt negative input in adolescents.

Digital Segregation

Schneider, Zwillich, Bindl, Hopp, Reich, and Vorderer (2017) discussed the concept called cyber-ostracism or digital segregation, which is the feeling of being disregarded or rejected over the web. Cyber-ostracism has turned into danger to human needs, such as belonging and confidence. Usually, the aim of online networking is to interface individuals, so nobody ought to ever be desolate or disengaged. The way that it is happening in our general public is disturbing and could conceivably cause issues inside social development. In their article the authors examined two distinct examinations. The first study incorporated 113 students who finished a poll. They found that digital exclusion strongly affected having a sense of belonging, confidence, and having a meaningless mind. They additionally discovered that digital segregation strongly affected the state of mind. Their second study delved into the connection between internet based life use and prosperity, and found that digital exclusion via web-based networking media adversely influenced emotional well-being. Because of the way that digital exclusion impacts emotional well-being, the researchers trusted that it is conceivable to expand the scope of aversive impact of digital segregation to more than confidence and having a place. According to them, their examination demonstrates that feeling avoided can undermine the needs and conditions of being.

Facebook Depression

Tartari (2015) defined Facebook depression as one, which develops when preteens and adolescents invest a lot of energy in social media sites such as Facebook, and afterward they start to display symptoms of depression. As the author explained, with offline depression, preadolescents and youths who experience the ill effects of Facebook depression are in danger to social isolation and once in a while swing to dangerous internet sites for help that may advance substance misuse, risky sexual practices, or forceful or pointless practices. The author indicated that children who use Facebook all the more regularly, begin to show narcissistic propensities, while youthful grown-ups who have a solid Facebook presence hint at progressively mental clutters, including solitary practices, lunacy, and forceful inclinations. Every day abuse of media and innovation negatively affects the wellbeing everything being equal, preteens, and youngsters by making them increasingly inclined to tension, sorrow, and other mental clutters, just as making them progressively defenseless to future medical problems. Adolescents, who are the largest number of people who log into social media sites, detailed being less substance and are almost certain to report that they cause harm a great deal, are frequently tragic or miserable, and are regularly exhausted.

Theories of Why Social Media Affects a Child's Development

Social Comparison

McDool, Powel, Roberts, and Taylor (2016) discussed three theories that can help to clarify why social media affects a child's development. The theories include social comparison, finite resources, and cyber-bullying theory. According to them, these speculations draw on research from both financial matters and brain science, and almost certainly, they are not totally unrelated, but instead that every one of them to add to adjusted well-being in people who utilize online networking. Concerning the social comparison theory, which they mentioned, heeds to the idea that when people use social media on a regular basis, they begin to feel the need of comparing themselves with their peers. Even so, Zuo (2014) talked about that in his research. These comparisons are likely to bring a negative effect on any person who visits the social media sites basing on the things people choose to upload o those sites are often exaggerated versions of their appearances, achievements, and lives. According to McDool et al., various experimental studies have been performed to support this social comparison theory among minors in college. For example, a study by Chou and Edge (2012) found that youngsters who invested more energy in Facebook were bound to feel that other individuals were more joyful and that their lives were far much better than theirs. Besides, in separate research, Feinstein Hershenberg, Bhatia, Latack, Meuwly, and Davila (2013) announced a hugely beneficial outcome of Facebook social correlations on burdensome side effects. More so, Zuo (2014) detailed the negative relationship between every day Facebook use and proportions of confidence, which were clarified by expanded social comparisons. On the real sense, these studies mentioned above show how social media can interfere with children's mindset. They imply that when the children spend too much time on them, the comparison will make them miss learning the social skills needed for their development due to the fear of interaction.

Finite Resources

The second theory, which McDool, Powel, Roberts, and Taylor (2016) talked about, is called the finite resources. The theory recommends that a lot of time spent on social media infringes on different exercises known to be gainful for mental well-being. As the authors added, Wallsten (2013) provides examples of some of those exercises as face to face mingling, sports or exercise interest, and mental unwinding. In separate research, Sagioglu and Greitemeyer, (2014) demonstrated that the connection between Facebook utilizes and consequent negative state of mind might be interceded by the understanding that individuals have squandered their time on an activity that was meaningless. Verduyn, Lee, Park, Shablack, Orvell, Bayer, Ybarra, Jonides, and Kross (2015) articulated that there is proof that the passive use of social media sites does more harm than good compared to the active use of those sites. Comparatively, Bryson and Mackerron (2016) found that the general impact of messaging, emailing, and web-based social networking use for satisfaction when working or studying is negative. More to the point, Woods and Scott (2016) discussed a fascinating line of research rising to exhibit an unfavorable impact of internet based life use especially during the evening on sleep quantity and quality. Notably, based on the research, it is apparent that when children spend most of their time on social media sites, they will fail to develop the mental and psychological skills that they require to have during their childhood. As seen, it will manifest into their adulthood as their life will only revolve around social media.

Cyber Bullying

The third theory, which McDool, Powel, Roberts, and Taylor (2016) presented is called cyber bullying. As they added, this theory identifies with the way that kids who spend more time on social media sites have a more noteworthy possibility of being the casualty of cyber bullying or direct assaults from others on their feeling of individuality, well-being, and confidence. In a study, Sampasa-Kanyinga and Hamilton (2015) announced a huge increment in the chances of being defrauded for consistently spent utilizing social organizing locales. Cyber bullying is related to negative effects on children's enthusiastic wellbeing (Cowie, 2013). While cyber bullying exploitation regularly covers and corresponds with conventional offline harassing, the previous might be especially vindictive on account of kids' view of constant connectedness, and that they cannot escape the disparagement (Slonje Smith, and Frisen, 2012). The lasting mental effects stem legitimately from the transient effects that kids involvement as the aftereffect of being bullied. Depression will in general describe their enthusiastic viewpoint well past the harassment years, stretching out into their grown-up lives where they become constant, in some cases deep rooted problems. These issues make eating, resting, working, practicing and taking part in intriguing leisure activities every one of the signs of a full, healthy lifestyle increasingly troublesome. They likewise make it progressively hard to make and keep connections. Furthermore, Powdthavee (2012) finds that those kids who report dread of harassing in this manner endure bigger mental impacts of joblessness in later life. Besides that, the author establishes that the mental impacts stay subsequent to controlling for identity attributes. On a broader perspective, when a child begins to experience cyber bullying at a young age, they will fear to interact with their peers even in real life, which will eventually manifest into the lack of social skills development.

Conclusion

Overall, during this technological era, parents need to ensure that they raise their children while limiting their social media use. These social media websites offer pre-adulthood be...