The Axel: For this week, I would like to do a story on how social media affects the youth, specifically, children in elementary school who are ranging from 7-10 years old, and how it could affect their mental health and day to day living.
The Riders: The best people to tell this story would be the parents of children who are raising young kids who have social media and are constantly glued to their tablets. A child who is currently an active user of social media and an early education professor at Penn State could also be a great source because they have knowledgeable information about young children and what it takes for them to grow and the distractions they face. Another excellent source for this story could be a child psychologist or a teacher or guidance counselor in the school system who witnesses children discussing and talking about social media and platforms such as TikTok. I say teachers or counselors are a good example because when I was a substitute teacher last year in an elementary school, I overheard lots of young kids talking about TikTokers, bullies, and online social media scandals that seemed alarming for them to be aware of at such a young age.
The Spokes: This story could have a lot of footage and soundbites and even an interview. Having footage of a young child sitting on TikTok would be a great way to show how addicted the youth is to the media. Additionally, I think showing either a clip or a sound bite of young children discussing social media or social media gossip would be a great way to display this issue because it shows how these children are so exposed to mature content at a young age. Lastly, I think an interview of a parent or teacher giving their opinion on how harmful social media is to these children could be an eye-opener. I believe that a lot of parents and teachers think this is an issue but find that the issue is unavoidable since it is the “norm” now. Getting a soundbite of someone talking about this “new norm” that is so toxic could be really excellent for this story.
Rim:
Beginning: The beginning would show children sitting on their phones or iPads scrolling through TikTok or Instagram clearly zoned in and closing out the outside world.
Middle: The middle would be footage of children at school talking on the playground or discussing with their friends about social media gossip or fights that are going on through social medial. I also think getting a quote from a teacher or parent here could be really powerful because it will help bring the audience together and make them realize how toxic the younger generation’s upbringing is with social media and all of this technology in the picture. This could be an eye-opener and make the audience realize how much better off children were before their lives were consumed with TikTok and texting.
End: I think the end should consist of an interview of a child’s perspective. A child might feel that social media is great and for them to voice their opinion on it might prove how toxic it really is. Also, just having a child to wrap up a story is powerful in itself so it would be a great ending to this story.