Are children deprived of online communities advantaged or disadvantaged?

In this post I will analyze, then determine, if children allowed to socialize in online communities with peers advantaged socially or disadvantaged in the sense of increased prevalence of chronic depression and other various psychological effects. In recent years there has been much debate on this topic and I hope to summarize both sides and make a rational decision.

In my childhood and teenage years my parents were fairly easygoing with technology, social media, and the Internet. My siblings and I were allowed to have our own social media accounts with only limited oversight. Obviously, we were discouraged from visiting dangerous sites, giving away personal information, and other undesired behaviors. For the most part, these communities greatly benefited me. I joined Facebook and was fascinated by technology as a whole. This is what partly drove me to pursue a tech-related major at university. Most of the cited text also states how online communities can help narrow and filter the sometimes giant world and population. The argument for safe, guided participation in online communities as a youth is because of these social and developmental benefits of finding your niche and interests for later in life.

On the flip side, recent studies and in the case of Facebook, even internal documents, showing the sustained adverse effects that those platforms that host online communities have on our adolescents and youth. Depression, a fear of missing out (also known as FOMO), and many others mental effects are rising in younger generations at unprecedented rates. Using these platforms that portray others as living the perfect life (and censoring the negative aspects) can make others feel like their lives aren’t good enough. Either they’re not pretty enough, wealthy enough, or popular enough. This is the dark side of the online communities and their usage by developing minds.

In conclusion, more must be done about protecting younger users on these sites if their parents and themselves decide it is worth joining. In my case, online communities gave me an outlet to find my passions and socialize with others my age. It helped me more than I originally thought. However, in my opinion, parents need to weigh the risks and benefits of allowing their children to participate. Essentially, parents need to ensure the latter outweigh the former.

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications.

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3 comments

  1. Shawn Charles Campbell

    As an IT professional I can completely understand the wide range of online relationships as well as the pros/cons that come with them. We spend so much of our time looking for binary means of judging items in our lives. Either it is good or it is bad. What about the possibility that there is both good and bad within a single topic? I think your post does a good job of explaining that online communities are just another way for the traditionally interactions that kids would get anyways. This of course comes with things to consider such as inapproiatte content or cyberbullying but those risks can be reduced with proper instruction. To completely remove this common element from the lives of those growing up is to put them at a disadvantage later in life. As with any change we must adapt our own understanding to “Fit the times” as it were as generations have done previously for countless changes.

    Reference: https://theconversation.com/yes-online-communities-pose-risks-for-young-people-but-they-are-also-important-sources-of-support-158276

  2. Jenna Whitmer

    I agree more must be done to protect younger users from the dangers of the online communities. Personal data and privacy can easily be hacked and shared on the Internet. Which can make financial losses and loss to personal life. Similarly, identity theft is another issue that can give financial losses to anyone by hacking their personal accounts. Several personal twitter and Facebook accounts have been hacked in the past and the hacker had posted materials that have affected the individuals personal lives. This is one of the dangerous disadvantages of social media and every user is advised to keep their personal data and accounts safe to avoid such accidents.
    The addictive part of social media is very bad and can disturb personal lives as well. The teenagers are the most affected by the addiction of social media. They get involved very extensively and are eventually cut off from society. It can also waste individual time that could have been utilized by productive tasks and activities.
    Most of the children have become victims of cyberbullying in the past. Since anyone can create a fake account and do anything without being traced, it has become quite easy for anyone to bully on the Internet. Threats, intimidation messages and rumors can be sent to the masses to create discomfort and chaos in the society.
    Gruman, J.A.,Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

  3. Madison Supplee

    Nice post! I like how you discussed the benefits and how the internet had a positive impact on your life but also how the internet can have some serious adverse effects, especially on those who spend a considerable amount of time online and frequently compare themselves to others. Online, I think it’s hard to not somewhat compare yourself to others. Everyone online posts the positives and the good things going on and rarely post the hard times and it’s hard to see that It feel like you’re doing something wrong in life. For example, I have some friends that are always posting their relationships on Instagram making their relationships appear to be happy and healthy but I know that things are not always like that. I understand people may not want to advertise the negatives in their life, but only seeing the positives can cause unrealistic expectations. Continuously, for young teens and young people going through puberty, seeing unrealistic expectations such as perfect bodies, perfect outfits, and the newest of things can also have adverse effects on a young person. Mayo Clinic (2022) stated that “A 2015 study found that social comparison and feedback seeking by teens using social media and cellphones was linked with depressive symptoms.” And that “older adolescents who used social media passively, such as by just viewing others’ photos, reported declines in life satisfaction.” There’s no doubt that social media can have adverse effects in the youth especially. It’s important that people are aware of those consequences and can make informed decisions on their social media usage on their own.

    Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022, February 26). How to help your teen navigate social media. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437#:~:text=However%2C%20social%20media%20use%20can,much%20social%20media%20teens%20use.

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