The Social Media Solution Among Adolesence

It is no surprise that bullying continues to be an issue in schools across the United States.  In the age of social media, it is no longer a matter of just physical or emotional face-to-face bullying, but rather words behind a screen where people can hide and say whatever they please about their peers.  The problem: giving early adolescents access to a phone and social media with no restrictions.

            Many early adolescents between the ages of 11-14 note having experienced cyber-bullying.  95% of adolescents, age 13-17 in the United States note having access to a smartphone, with almost half using online platforms (Snapchat, Instagram, etc.) many times a day.  In today’s day and age, this makes sense.  When everyone has something that you don’t, you feel out of the loop or left out.  When parents see that their children are struggling with making friends, they feel sympathetic, potentially making them go against their better judgement and cave into buying a phone or tablet earlier than anticipated.

Photo via: Health Matters

            It is no doubt that social media has its positives.  It makes communication with friends and family much easier and provides everyone with entertainment, even if that entertainment may be considered a waste of time.

            The problem lies when young adults spend too much time on social media.  When social media becomes one of the only escapes from reality, many issues that young people continue to face becomes a harsh reality, and growing signs of depression, loneliness, and suicidal ideation occurs.

            So how can we protect the generation that is growing up in the age of ever-changing technology?  How can we make sure that children are safe online?

            There simply is no straightforward answer to completely omitting cyberbullying.  However, changes can be made so that the number of children victimized online can hopefully go down.

            A recent PSMUC (Problematic Social Media Use and Conflict) examination used five items from the Social Media Disorder Scale.  The items identified the problems from excessive adolescence social media use.  The questions that were asked to young people started with “during the past year, have you,” and asked a series of questions regarding social media usage and the problems that resulted in excessive time online.  It was concluded that “future research should focus not only on the frequency and duration of social media usage, but also more on the quality and conflict surrounding social media use.”  Lower numbers of cyberbullying would occur if prevention programs were implemented at much earlier stages of child development.

            Children are given access to devices earlier and earlier.  With this being the case, schools, teachers, guidance counselors, and administration need to begin administering cyberbullying prevention programs as early as elementary school.  Students need to begin learning about what cyberbullying is the second they are handed a device.  They need to learn what cyberbullying looks like, how to handle it, and who and where to report those behaviors to.

            Many state that these programs are a waste of money, and that American tax dollars need to be going toward something more beneficial.  Our children’s lives are the most important thing worthy of protecting.  They are the future of our country, and every child is deserving of love and affection.

            Youth who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more than two times at risk of developing mental health problems, like depression and anxiety.  Untreated depression can lead to suicidal ideation and potentially acting upon those thoughts.  Students need to start good habits at a young age and have a good mental health status to be successful in everyday life including home, school, family, friends, etc.  This builds the foundation for college life, and eventually full-grown adult life.  Of course, teaching these habits at a young age starts within the home with parents and guardians, but by teaching both these habits and how to behave on social media in school as well, children will realize the seriousness of a digital footprint that is left behind with cyberbullying.

            It is also fact that a person’s brain is not even fully developed until they are in their mid to late 20s.  It is not necessary to wait that long, of course, for people to have access to a phone and social media.  However, this proves that young people tend to make poor decisions without realizing the repercussions for those actions.

            Governmental action is already beginning to be taken to restrict people under fourteen years old from having access to the popular social media platforms that many claim to be the most problematic when it comes to cyberbullying and addiction.

            In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will be one of the most restrictive ones to date.  The bill will require parental consent for children 14 and 15 to have access to social media and completely ban social media for those under fourteen.  It is expected for this new law to take effect on January 1^st, 2025.  Other states are interested in similar legislation down the road.

            By implementing cyberbullying prevention programs into our schools as early as elementary school, making sure that all students are knowledgeable of the effects of social media and too much time online, and states beginning to take action when it comes to the age that children are allowed on social media, we can begin to lower our country’s mental health crisis among young adults and hopefully create much happier and healthier generations of children for years to come.