Social media in this Age of Technology exposes children to undue influence. The excessive and potentially harmful impact of texts, pictures, and videos promoting sex, drugs, violence, and other aberrant behaviours on social media platforms can also pressure young adults (i.e., 18-25 years) to act without adequately weighing the consequences.

One of the negative influences of social media exposure is cyberbullying (a criminal behaviour that includes distribution of negative, false, or mean information about people to embarrass or humiliate them publicly). Victims of cyberbullying—mostly children and young adults—cannot always withstand the pressure and may lack courage to discuss it with teachers, parents, or police. Resultantly, they suffer emotional, mental, or physical traumas which further lowers self-esteem and academic performance. Recent research on Cyberbullying and Adolescent Suicide emphasized that 14.9% of adolescents in the United States experienced cyberbullying and 13.6% among them seriously considered suicide as the only option to ending their miseries (Schonfeld et al, 2023). The high levels of anxiety and depression arising from cyberbullying underscore the need to monitor social media usage among children and young people.

Furthermore, unmonitored social media usage increases the vulnerability of children and young adults to drug use, bingeing, and sexual harassment. The prevalence of paedophiles using fake social media profiles to lure victims has been a source of concern to parents across the world (Steel et al, 2021). Social media influencers and display ads are also twisting young people’s idea of beauty, success, and happiness thereby encouraging harmful lifestyles and unrealistic standards that increase unnecessary and highly addictive comparisons that often result to poor body image, crime, and other socio-emotional challenges.

Regardless of the entertaining and educative benefits of social media, parents should grant 18-year-olds free access to social media but ensure their protection from negative social media influence by educating them about online safety, monitoring their online activity, and setting clear limits on screen time. Using parental controls and encouraging open communication are also effective measures.

Works Cited

Schonfeld, A. et al (2023). “Cyberbullying and Adolescent Suicide.” J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, Vol 51: pp. 112–119.

Steel, C. et al (2021). “Collecting and Viewing Behaviours of Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders.” Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol 188: pp. 105-133.