Parents nowadays have even more to deal with when it comes to their children. Now instead of just the old fashioned fights in the hallway at school, kids are fighting over social media. Part of the problem is that they have bad role models to look up to. For example the latest teen fight over social media, is between Justin Beiber and Selena Gomez. The media just sits and waits for them to post new selfies, and pictures of their ongoing feud. So allowing your children to idolize these people can really end up hurting them in the long run. It’s important for parents to be able to identify how the media is getting kids hooked on these social media sites. This way you can watch closely what they are doing, and look at the signs in order to protect your kids. I am not saying that it is all the medias fault, but they do have a large impact. Below are five more ways that the media is affecting how your kids act on social media.
Teens stay plugged in
The media tries to monopolize on the fact that the kids constantly stay plugged in to everything that has to do with their favorite teen celebrity. The media capitalizes on every fight that the young couples (who should not even be dating) have. Every picture that these immature kids post, is re-posted to some breaking news reports. The media knows that these kids are going to read the article and more than likely click on the ads that are posted. This means that they will get more revenue from unsuspecting teens than they do from adults.
Cliques are encouraged
It also encourages kids to form little clicks, based on what they see other celebrities do. They start to respond to every picture that they see posted by a friend or class mate. They learn to judge people based on what they wear, how they speak, and especially who they like. Some learn to think that the way they are acting makes them more like the celebrity they idolize. This means as a parent you need to make sure your child is not always plugged in.
Mental health affects
As a parent you may not realize that it could be affecting your kid’s mental health. Once they get kids hooked onto social media they start to affect how they act in everyday life. Of course a lot depends on what the parents allow, but because they are always plugged in, the affects can be very negative and last a lifetime.
Discouraging socialization
The media also encourages kids to talk to their friends online instead of face to face. They are encouraging kids more and more to stay plugged in. Then when kids actually are face to face they don’t really know how to communicate. It’s easier to send a text message than to say something face to face. It’s also easier to start a fight over social media. By the time they are adults they have no idea how to communicate with the people around them.
