Almost every day there are reports of cyberbullying in the news. Combine this with the fact that victims of cyberbullying often suffer significant consequences, and it is not surprising that most parents equate social media with something that is bad for kids.
And while it is important for parents to instill healthy habits surrounding social media use—including limiting and monitoring time online—it is also important to recognize that social media is not a bad thing. It only becomes a bad thing when people misuse it for bullying, public shaming, and rumor spreading. In fact, research shows there are numerous benefits to social media use.
Benefits of Social Media for Youth
While the overuse of electronics and social media can certainly be a problem, there are also numerous potential benefits of social media for youth, including the following:
- Strengthening friendships
- Motivating kids to do good
- Reducing feelings of isolation
- Becoming a source of support
- Building a platform
- Encouraging personal expression
- Accessing information
Social Media Can Strengthen Friendships
There is no doubt that friendships are a key component of teen life. When kids have healthy friendships, they not only feel accepted for who they are, but theyalso feel more empowered and connected to the world around them. Friends also can speak truth into their lives and encourage them to explore their dreams.
What's more, research has shown that having at least one solid friendship can go a long way in preventing bullying. In fact, bullies often target teens that are alone or isolated. But teens that havea core group of friends often have a built-in layer of protection from bullying.
More than half of teens believethat social media helps their friendships.
According to a survey by Common Sense Media, 52% of teens felt that social media improved their friendships and only 4% felt it hurt them. Additionally, the study found that nearly 30% of social media users believe that social networking makes them feel more confident and outgoing.
Social Media Is a Vehicle for Doing Good
Whether teens are developing fundraisers or supporting an important cause, social media can help them make an impact in their communities. Some social movements have started when teens leveraged social media to build awareness for an issue.
Whether they make YouTube videos or develop Twitter campaigns, teens have more impact on the world around them because of social media. Moreover, their voices are being heard more frequently.
Social media also exposes kids to important issues all over the world, not just thosein their communities. As a result, they realize that social media is a way for them to help and support people even from far away. They can instantaneously make an impact on things like hunger in Africa, preserving the rain forest, or providing educational tools for kids without resources.
Social Media Reduces Feelings of Isolation
While social media can make adults feel lonelier, researchers are finding the opposite may be true for teens. One study found that even though teenshave fewer friends than teens did a decade ago, they still report feeling less lonely than their counterparts. They also report feeling less isolated. Researchers suggest that the difference is social media and technology.
As teens find their niche, they are becoming more individualistic and more extroverted and have higher self-esteem. This increased individuality makes teens more secure in existing friendships and reduces feelings of loneliness overall. This is especially true if those friendships are healthy.
This research also suggests that teens are developing stronger social skills due to social media use. As technology becomes a bigger part of everyday life, solid online communication skills are important. Through social media, teens learn how to navigate social networking sites and other methods of online communication. This makes them better communicators in an increasingly digital world.
Social Media Is a Source of Authentic Support
Years ago, if teens were interested in a quirky subject or were grappling with who they were as a person, they often felt marginalized and alone. Today, teens can connect with others that share similar interests, desires, andconcerns. This connection helps them feel validated and secure in who they are.
Another way teens are finding support is through online communities. For instance, kids struggling with issues like drug addiction and eating disorders now can find help and support online without ever having to leave their homes. This is especially helpful for teens in small communities or rural areas where resources may be limited.
Teens experiencing suicide ideation can even get immediate access to quality online support. One example of online supportoccurred when a Reddit Minecraft community talked a teen out of suicide. Aside from posting positive comments and messages, more than 50 of the users used voice conferencing to persuade the teen not to go through with it. This is a perfect example of how social media and technology can benefit teens today.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
Social Media Can Build a Platform
Your teen can use social media to begin developing an online presence that can attract the attention of colleges and future employers. For instance, some teens make YouTube videos or write blog posts on topics they are passionate about.
A young teen who has a passion for reading and writing might publish book reviews or film videos with their thoughts, ideas, and comments. As their work gains traction online, they may even develop a following which could include authors, literary agents, and publishers.
Then, when this teen applies for college, they can reference their social media accounts on college applications. This work demonstrates their creativity and maturity, but also shows that they are aself-starter.
Building a platform on social media can open a lot of doors for teens and help them build a positive online reputation. It also can expose them to college scholarships, college networks, and even a future career. And it can change their perspective on social media. It's no longer just a place to post silly pictures or observe digital drama. It becomes a tool they can use to share their passions and eventually find a career path.
Social Media Allows for Personal Expression
Digital technology is the perfect tool for channeling creativity and personal expression. Whether kids enjoy singing, writing, or acting, they can share these talents with the world around them. Kids who enjoy fashion, make-up trends, or craft projects also can express themselves online. Providing this avenue of self-expression is important for teens.
Research shows that there is a direct connection between self-expression and self-confidence. When kids are given avenues for being authentic and true to themselves, they become content with who they are and happier overall.
By contrast, when they do not have many opportunities to express themselves or they do not know people with the same passions or interests, they begin to wonder if there is something wrong with them. They also question why they are not like everyone else.
Social Media Is a Tool for Gathering Information
Social media has become a source of information and news for many teens. Once they begin social networking, they can follow just about anyone with a social media account. From authors and athletes to celebrities, chefs,nonprofit organizations, and magazines, they are connected to all sorts of information.
Teens also can gather information about issues that impact them or their friends. For instance, if they are concerned a friend might have an eating disorder or a drug addiction, they can gather information about it. Or, if they want to learn more about a presidential election, climate change, or even find new ways to eat healthily, they can do so on their social media accounts.
A Word From Verywell
Overall, social media does not have to be scary. Even though it can be exploited by kids who bully others, instilling good digital etiquette and maintaining an open dialogue about online safety can go a long way in keeping kids safe online.
As a parent, make sure you are nurturing the positive aspects of social media as well as discussing the dangers. By doing so, you will help your kids develop social media savvy, a skill that will ultimately help them in the years to come.
Keeping Your Kids Safe on Social Media
FAQs
How teenagers benefit from social media? ›
Social media is a big part of social and creative life for pre-teens and teenagers. Pre-teens and teenagers use social media to have fun, make and maintain friendships, share and learn interests, explore identities and develop relationships with family. It's an extension of their offline and face-to-face interactions.
How can social media positively influence a child? ›Social media can have a positive effect on your child like helping them learn how to communicate with others, navigate relationships and how to manage somebody who isn't being kind to them.
What other benefits we can get in using social media? ›- navigating and sharing digital content.
- responsible online interaction.
- building an online identity.
- maintaining their digital reputation.
- Learning & Networking: ...
- For Creative Expression: ...
- Experience Global Exposure: ...
- Employment Opportunities: ...
- Social Media Marketing:
Social media use may expose teens to peer pressure, cyberbullying, and increased mental health risk. But, social media can also connect isolated teens and help them find supportive networks. Parents can set limitations and communicate openly with teens about healthy social media use.
What are 7 advantages of social media? ›- It's cost-effective.
- It provides authenticity.
- It compliments advertising.
- It fosters your creative voice.
- It provides a forum for customer care.
- It builds engaged communities.
- It helps search engine optimization.
Faster, Easier Communication
It's faster now than ever before to contact the right people, oftentimes without having to even pick up a phone. And it's only becoming easier as more people and brands use social media platforms to keep in contact with the people that matter most to their business.
Social networking services can help young people develop their interests and find other people who share the same interests. They can help introduce young people to new things and ideas, and deepen appreciation of existing interests.
How does social media improve social skills? ›Develop social and communication skills
If your teen is having problems communicating offline, social media helps them develop social skills in a space where they have ample time to think about their actions before they act and also find people with similar interests.
Via media, children gain access to significant educational, creative, artistic, communication, and recreational opportunities that they would not otherwise have. For example, access to online books, pictures, blogs, documentary films and music enables kids to learn about different cultures around the world.
What are the top 5 benefits of social media to your mental health? ›
- Relieve social isolation and loneliness by opening up new communication pathways.
- Inspire healthy lifestyle changes.
- Aid medical research for mental health professionals.
- Make social support and interventions possible.
- Build community by Joining Local Meetups.
- It Can Keep Us Connected. ...
- It Can Spur Business. ...
- It Can Spread Art and Culture. ...
- It Can Give Voice to the Voiceless. ...
- It Can Empower the Already Powerful. ...
- It Can Be Used for Disinformation and Hate. ...
- It Can Homogenize Culture. ...
- It Can Overtake Personal Connections.
- 6 Pros & Cons Of Social Media In The Classroom. contributed by Aimee Hosler.
- Engaged students are more successful. ...
- Social media teaches important life lessons. ...
- It's 'real world' ...
- The Internet is a new medium for bullying. ...
- Social media can be a time suck.
- The Internet is a dangerous place.
However, social media has many positive effects on education including better communication, timely information, and socializing online, etc. But at the same time, it has some negative effects which include identity theft, cyberbullying, and social isolation.
Can social media have a positive impact on mental health? ›We know that having a strong social network is associated with positive mental health and well-being. Routine social media use may compensate for diminishing face-to-face social interactions in people's busy lives.
What are the 5 media effects? ›These six are cognition, belief, attitude, affect, physiology, and behavior. All individual-level media effects studies examine how the media exert an influence on one or more of these six types.
What are the positive effects of social media essay? ›In addition, it strengthens bonds with your loved ones. Distance is not a barrier anymore because of social media. For instance, you can easily communicate with your friends and relatives overseas. Most importantly, it also provides a great platform for young budding artists to showcase their talent for free.
What are the pros and cons of social media? ›| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Put yourself out there in a good way | Posting inappropriate statuses/pictures |
| Connect with students in other educational systems | Making people feel bad about themselves |
| Make new friends/communicate or connect with old friends/family | Cyberbullying |
Social media harms
However, social media use can also negatively affect teens, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people's lives and peer pressure. The risks might be related to how much social media teens use.
Social media networks allow us the opportunity to share opinions with a far wider audience. Another big change that has occurred is that there is now no filter on the way we speak. In the past, unless you spoke to people directly, you had no way to get your message across regardless of your freedom of speech.
How has social media changed the way we communicate positively? ›
Nowadays, we can express our thoughts, opinions, and ideas on the interweb. Social media has been used as an outlet for people to share their personal stories with the world. While some stories are inspirational, all social media platforms are uncensored, allowing people to have freedom of speech.
What are the five benefits of media relations? ›- Credibility. When a third party quotes an expert or mentions a company doing good work, it gives credibility to that person or brand. ...
- Reaching audiences. There are almost too many ways to reach an audience in today's world. ...
- Share your story. ...
- Control your crisis. ...
- Build beneficial relationships.
It is easy to become addicted, and research shows that students who spend too much time on social media can suffer from poor sleep, eye fatigue, negative body image, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, and more.
What are the benefits of media? ›- It Can Keep Us Connected. ...
- It Can Spur Business. ...
- It Can Spread Art and Culture. ...
- It Can Give Voice to the Voiceless. ...
- It Can Empower the Already Powerful. ...
- It Can Be Used for Disinformation and Hate. ...
- It Can Homogenize Culture. ...
- It Can Overtake Personal Connections.
In today's society, the use of social media has become a necessary daily activity. Social media is typically used for social interaction and access to news and information, and decision making. It is a valuable communication tool with others locally and worldwide, as well as to share, create, and spread information.
What are the benefits of social media essay? ›In addition, it strengthens bonds with your loved ones. Distance is not a barrier anymore because of social media. For instance, you can easily communicate with your friends and relatives overseas. Most importantly, it also provides a great platform for young budding artists to showcase their talent for free.
Why is social media good for mental health? ›Another benefit of using social media was access to feel-good and motivational content that could promote mental well-being by introducing participants to resources, which some participants mentioned improved awareness on their personal mental health.
What are the pros and cons of using social media? ›| Pros of Social Media | Cons of Social Media |
|---|---|
| Social Media Can Reach Large Audiences | Social Media Causes Sleep Issues |
| Government Benefits from Social Media | Social Media Cause Depression and Loneliness |
| Entertainment with Social Media | Social Media Causes Distraction |
It is easy to become addicted, and research shows that students who spend too much time on social media can suffer from poor sleep, eye fatigue, negative body image, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, and more.
What are the 3 main purposes of social media? ›Social media platforms allow users to have conversations, share information and create web content.
Why is social media so addictive? ›
Using social media can lead to physical and psychological addiction because it triggers the brain's reward system to release dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical. Dopamine is actually a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger between neurons) involved in neurological and physiological functioning.
What is the impact of social media in our daily life? ›Social media makes it easier than ever before for strangers around the world to connect with each other through online communities. This has led to support groups that help people in various ways. Social media can be a positive influence on our lives by encouraging us to set goals and work towards achieving them.
What is social media 100 words? ›Paragraph 1 - 100 Words
Social Media is a virtual platform of connectivity. It includes all social websites and applications that are available for the general public. Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Messengers, and WhatsApp are just operated on a single fingertip.
Although there are important benefits, social media can also provide platforms for bullying and exclusion, unrealistic expectations about body image and sources of popularity, normalization of risk-taking behaviors, and can be detrimental to mental health.
What is importance and impact of social media? ›It has made it easy to connect to our family members, friends and relatives on a real-time basis. With social media, people can share pictures and videos and communicate with their close ones. This has strengthened relationships and it is bringing families together in a way that was not possible in the past.