Social Media And The Effects On Kids: Intelligence And Interaction

Name Institutional Affiliation Course Title Instructor Date Social Media and Effects on Kids Introduction Over the past years, there has been an explosion of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube (Barnes and Laird). Not only is this new media an integral part of socialization among peers, companies can also market their products and services by exploiting these technologies. Children have always cherished these developments trend that have afforded them new and high-tech tools to remain connected with their family and friends and linking up with new people (Nzemecha). By accessing an app or a website on their mobile devices, kids can communicate with and learn from others who are of value to them. Like most things people get passionate about, there are negative sides of social networking. However, policy makers and researchers have remained divided in their views regarding the potential effects of electronic social media on the lives and minds of children (Freeman 165). It is therefore important for parents/guardians and teachers to be aware of the negative effects that social media may have on the kids. This paper argues that when it applies to kids, studies have found that social media enhances their intelligence and their interaction with others contrary to the claims that social networking adversely affects kids by making them stupid and making them addicted to the Internet. While social media is often blamed of making kids unhappy and mean, research shows that it makes them more intelligent. Studies continue to reveal that social media can improve research, verbal and critical thinking skills in spite of popular concerns of the damaging effects of the Internet on children (Nickelsburg). Digital connectedness provides children with an enhanced sense of purpose in their writing. When children write for a responsive and engaged audience, they get motivated to make their writing more compelling even when they compose a short 150-character tweet on Twitter. In his work, Clive Thompson offers an insight why a wide range of readers or reviewers is beneficial to children developing the writing skills. Thompson explains that when children are asked by their teacher to write a paper, they tend to care less as teachers are paid to read, mark and grade their writing skills. However, as soon as they connect with an authentic audience of others, these kids completely immerse themselves into writing and as they seem their first comment from a member outside their classroom, they get convinced that they are thinking within a public realm. The kids will then go over their writing and ask other members to offer criticism of their work before reposting. Thompson explains that teachers who had hitherto faced challenges having their pupils write a two-page essay found it suddenly easier for them to write a 35,000-word report on their favorite video game after connecting other members on social media (Nickelsburg). This shows how social media can make kids smarter. One of the most cited negative effects of social networking on kids is the loss of face-to-face interactions with others although in a globalized world today, social media allows children to connect with others based on common interests. This kind of loss has been attributed to what opponents of social media call Internet addiction. However, with the changing trends in communication, social media is increasingly being accepted as a mainstream way of meeting friends and interacting with them. The Pew Research Center found that 76 percent of teenagers in the United States used social media platforms with 71 percent using Facebook (Lenhart). Social networking sites are invaluable in helping connect to new friends and familiarize with the much better. Apart from making new friends, social media makes it possible for kids to interact with the existing friends and share their feelings making them feel better. Over 83 percent social media users claim that the platforms make them feel more connected to their friends’ lives. The Pew Research Center found that about 90 percent of social media users believed they shared on these platforms more than they could share with face-to-face friends (Lenhart). In these platforms, about 70 percent of users claimed to have received support from online friends when they were undergoing tough times. This implies that social media not only connects people to information, but also social support from their peers and friends. Rebuttals to Those Opposed To Social Media among Kids Research published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface reported that s...