Everyone is familiar with social media -be it Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or any other social media applications. These platforms have today become an integral part of people’s lives. School-going children are no exception to it. The widespread use of social media platforms by children has already ignited the debate around its positive and negative impact on students.
Is social media doing good or cause harm to students? Experts say the answer lies somewhere in the middle. In fact, social media has both pros and cons. On one hand, it can prove to be a distraction, on the other hand, it helps students learn, interact and find solutions to various problems related to studies.
Let’s first understand the role of social media in student’s life, which has evolved through the years. Before the onset of Covid-19 induced pandemic, people had a hard time thinking about online studies. Today online education has become a norm. From doubt-clearing sessions to assigning projects, online classrooms have incorporated several such features.
i Social media is widely used around the world as an academic resource. There are plenty of educational benefits of using social media.
i With the advent of new technologies like cloud, it has become so much easier to share resources with others.
i Online classes have shattered the boundaries of location and time.
i Social media has increased digital literacy among the children.
Apart from benefits of social media, there are, unfortunately, many disadvantages too. This has made many parents concerned about the safety of their children and they have several critical questions regarding their children using these platforms. Here SHAECH EDITORIAL DESK reproduces the expert views and guidance about the use of social media by students:
When is it good time for kids to start using social media?
It is generally recommended for children not to use social media before high school or attaining 14 to 17 years of age.
How to prepare kids for social media use?
Parents or guardians should create a plan that includes fixing schedules, and boundaries, creating open communication, and discussing online safety.
What are the benefits of social media for students?
There are many benefits which social media passes on to the students including facilitating academic learning, easy access to resources, sharing information, fostering connection, etc.
What are the cons of using social media platforms for children?
Like pros, there are several cons of using social media too. This includes exposure to cyber bullying, development of low self-esteem, anxiety & depression, sleep problems, low academic performance and more.
How to monitor a kid’s social media activities?
Parents and guardians can monitor the social media activities of their children by setting up parental control, setting screen time and using parental control apps such as Google Family Link, Bark, Norton Family, Net Nanny, Boomerang, etc.
How to protect children from cyber bullying and harassment?
You can protect your children from harassment and cyber bullying by monitoring their activities, setting their account private, using a block feature for emails, messages and texts, reporting inappropriate behaviour, etc.
How to teach kids about using social media responsibly?
Parents should create an open environment, model responsible behaviour, make children learn digital etiquette, practise safe internet practices and follow set boundaries and rules.
How long can kids use social media?
It is recommended that above the age of 13, the children can use social media platforms for 2 hours or less.
Precisely, as we rapidly shift towards the digital age, the use of social media for students has become inevitable. Whether it’s about online classes, new skills or sharing academic resources, social media applications have become an integral part of student life.
What are some educational social media platforms for students?
Some useful social media platforms for students include YouTube, Facebook, Edmodo, WhatsApp, Schoology, LinkedIn, Khan Academy and more.
There are several disadvantages for students who use social media like negative impact on studies, risk of harassment and cyber bullying, low self-esteem, sleep deprivation, social isolation, privacy concerns, misinformation spread, etc.
Social media can be highly useful for students as it can provide learning opportunities. Besides enhancing academic skills, they also learn to collaborate and communicate with others. Social media also widens the networking scope which is useful for their future. Social media can benefit students by strengthening connections, boosting creativity, easy accessibility to useful resources, encouraging engagement and more.