Kids receive so much input today from texting, social media, and the internet, that they may not spend a lot of time thinking about their goals or their futures. After all, it’s tough to contemplate what may be your best choices in life when you are constantly responding to input from an immense amount of information that’s right at your fingertips.
One of the problems affecting children who use social media is that it never stops. By design, it tries to grab hold of you and not let go. As a result, children spend more and more time on the internet and may have constant input from electronic sources all day long. Some of this is from friends and people they know. Other times, it’s from strangers who may have an agenda that isn’t for the benefit of the child. All of this input can cause a multitude of problems. Children’s attention spans get shorter as they scan for tidbits of information that interest them. They may never take a break and actually sit down and think. This constant barrage of information and input, often designed to manipulate them, can lead to an information overload, where they stop being able to discern what’s in their best interest and what’s not.
Time to Think and Contemplate
The bottom line is that children need time to think and contemplate things in order to make their best decisions. When their concentration and critical thinking skills are suppressed, they become less equipped to deal with their responsibilities. While adults can also get caught up in social media, at least they’ve had a chance to more clearly develop their sense of self, including their values and interests.
Parents need to be concerned about their child’s emotional development, as social media has been known to be brutal for self-confidence and emotional stability. That’s why setting limits and being aware of what your child is doing on the internet is vital. While there are ways to block certain types of sites from children, it may not be enough. Kids may reach websites they’re not developmentally ready to assess fully, and may be taken in by bad actors pretending to be peers. When parents put boundaries in place, it’s more likely a child will be able to moderate their internet activities and leave time for other activities in their lives.
Since internet sites can be so enticing to kids, it’s not surprising they often fight really hard to stay online. It’s a tough road for parents to navigate, however abandoning oversight can potentially put your child at risk. Often parents have a difficult time creating limits for a child’s use of the internet and social media. Yet parents are the first line of defense against children being drawn into sites and situations that can be detrimental to them. It’s important that children and adolescents have people they can talk to about things they encounter online.
Taking Time to Think
Kids today have to assimilate information so much faster than the generations before them. Yet, having time to contemplate this information is an essential part of decision-making. Without the ability to actually take the time to be in their own thoughts, they may never have a chance to reflect on what actions they take. They may be so busy taking in information from either peers or algorithms that they may become more easily manipulated to act at someone else’s direction.
We are all adjusting to the massive influx of information that’s available at our fingertips. Information that may have taken previous generations months, years, or decades to find, can now be acquired in seconds. It’s important that we recognize the positive aspects and the potentially negative aspects of the powerful tool that the internet has become.
It is important for parents to help establish boundaries. It’s OK to discuss the amount of time your adolescent spends online. Becoming more involved and understanding what social media sites your child is visiting can help with your peace of mind and help keep them safer.
Children, like all of us, can be susceptible to online pressure. It’s possible, even probable, that much of the influence being directed at our children is not in their best interest. Whether it’s body-shaming, bullying, or other forms of online intimidation, the more we understand about the power and dangers of the internet, the more important it is to make sure we stay aware of our children’s online interests and activities.
