Blog #8- Social Media
Social media has taken over the world and the way that we interact with each other. Although it can be seen as a positive way to communicate with friends, it also has many negative effects on children and teens development. Increased cases of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders have been reported since the mid 2000s ( Kamenetz, 2019) At first, many doctors and psychologists did not understand this unfortunate trend. But, as more research came about they realized that people who report spending the most time on smartphones are twice as likely to report being depressed as those who use their phones more infrequently. This could be due to constant exposure in an environment that invites comparison. Teen girls tend to compare themselves more to friends, celebrities, and influencers in hopes to stay on trend, find themselves, or to just simply fit in. Tees depend on their phones for social validation and oftentimes compare themselves to pictures of people they may look up to that are heavily edited. By comparing themselves to fake pictures, they set themselves up for disappointment in themselves which leads to poor self esteem. This is why there is this increased amount of mental health disorders among teens.
This segways into the discussion wether or not phones should be banned in schools. Phones provide a constant distraction when kids are supposed to be paying attention in class, and even can allow easier ability for students to cheat on exams. The article, "Schools Say No To Cell Phones" by Alyson Klein, talks about how some schools came to the decision of banning phones to benefit the students. The school took this action in order to provide a break for students and they realized that this cannot happen due to the constant text messaging and posting that goes on throughout the day. By banning phones, students will be more encouraged to live in the moment and be less worried about what their friends are doing throughout the day. Although this seems like a great idea, some educators disagree and claim that kids should be allowed to use their phones during the course of the school day because it is important for kids to be able to learn how to accurately do work while balancing their phone usage. One educator even claimed that "anybody who wants to ban phones in schools are just hiding from reality."
Although I understand the viewpoint claiming that banning phones in schools is avoiding reality, I personally disagree with this statement. Kids and especially teens feel so much pressure to fit in, and as I previously mentioned compare themselves to each other. Additionally, kids need to learn how to interact with each other and adults. By constantly hiding behind a phone screen, this can be hindered or delayed. I think that giving kids a screen break during the course of the school day can be more helpful then hurtful.
Sexting is another major issue to be discussed when examining the issue of students and phone usage. Sexting is the act of texting or sending sexual pictures. This is a harmful behavior because many times the conversation is not private and pictures often times get leaked. There have been numerous cases of this occurring which resulted in many suicides among teens, and an example of this can be the story of Amanda Todd, which we learned about in the beginning of the semester. Another issue is that children have phones at a much younger age than they did 5-10 years ago. Children have easier access to pornography and may not fully understand the severity of this adult material. Additionally, kids may partake in sexting without understanding the full consequences, or even may fall victims of online sex trafficking or predators.
The information in this module ties in perfectly with what I did my oral presentation on. The book, "Social Media Wellness" by Ana Homayoun talks about the challenges children face when it comes to technology, and how by modifying ones usage slightly will improve overall well being and self esteem. Homayoun also supports the idea that there is no emotion when talking over text, and kids can miss out in important social cues, and it is important for them to learn what is and is not appropriate prior to being in a situation where this knowledge is essential.
In conclusion, this debate effects students and their development because I know from research and personal experience that constant cell phone usage impacts the overall mental health, self esteem, and personal development of an individual. The overall goal and responsibilities for educators and decision makers is to make the best decision with the students best interest in mind. Like I said, I believe that keeping phones out of schools will provide a much needed break for students, who are most likely constantly on their devices all hours of the night into the early morning. I also hope that all children are able to find a healthy balance between real life and social media!
References
Homayoun, A. (2018). Social Media Wellness: Helping Tweens and teens thrive in an unbalanced Digital World. Corwin, a Sage Company.
Sexting. (n.d.). The School Superintendents Association (AASA). Link
Klein, A. (2019, September 6). Schools say no to cell phones. But is it a smart move? Education Week. Link
Kamenetz, A. (2019, August 27). NPR's The Scientific Debate over Teens, Screens, and Mental Health. National Public Radio. Link
Willett, R. (Director). (2019). Plugged-In: The Toxicity of Social Media Revealed. [YouTube Video]. Brick in the Wall Media.
Hi Diana
ReplyDeleteI can completely understand your point of view on cell phones at school. You said it best when you said, “ Teens depend on their phones for social validation and often times compare themselves to pictures of people they may look up to that are heavily edited.”. With the expectations of the internet, no wonder depression is two times more likely in viewers. Self-esteem can directly affect how a student learns. Low self-esteem can lessen a student's desire to learn, ability to focus, and willingness to answer questions. So as a future teachers we must realize that outside factors like these can affect the classroom.
Although I disagree with banning phones in school, you bought up valid points on why you feel it’s right. There are severe dangers that come along with cell phone access that we need to prepare our students for. We also must teach them not to use it as a weapon. Students often de come a bully with the power of being behind the screen. The solution is not to talk it away but to teach the students how to use cell phones appropriately. It is up to us to teach students how to handle the responsibility to promote life skills. Great blog!
Hi Diana,
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was well done and thorough. I agree with your statement that young adults and children using technology can cause their social skills to be negatively affected. I also included this in my blog post as I feel it is a critical issue that we are seeing in our society. Sexting can be a main cause of depression and immense amount of distress on students because explicit pictures can get leaked and circulate around schools. This causes bullying and harassment for young students, which is hard to escape due to cyber bulling. Social media can cause poor mental health for students, I definitely think that students should be restricted on social media by their parents until they're older and more developed.