WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR OUR CHILDREN?

Kids + Social Media = Cyber Bullying, Sexting, Digital Footprints, Selfies…

…Right?Every day, it seems as though there is a new story about the harms of social media for children, but what about the benefits of social media?Without downplaying the adverse effects of children using social media platforms, it is important for us to consider that social media is part of the world we are living in today, and it isn’t going anywhere any time soon. It has worked into the fabric of societies around the world and plays an essential role in the way we connect with others and socialize. So, lets take a look at the benefits of social media, how it can promote self esteem, and create the opportunity for our children to learn and relate to others…

Mental Health

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, mental health disorders are on the rise among teens and social media offers a key avenue for those suffering to reach out and find others they can relate to and get advice from in an anonymous (or not anonymous ) manner.

Finding sites that are supportive can help your teen feel less isolated and alone. They can stay anonymous, yet converse with others who are experiencing similar things. The trick is to find healthy, positive support and stay away from sites that reinforce negative feelings.

Social Development

According to research, many teens feel staying connected through social media actually helps their friendships, with over half of them reporting a positive impact and only 4% citing that it has harmed friendships. The Raising Children Network believes teens can improve the social connections with their friends through social media. It can increase confidence and often help them to become more outgoing.There may be stereotypes of the kid who is always on their phone or texting and is out of the ‘social loop”, but it turns out that although teens may have smaller groups of friends, they generally feel less lonely than ever before.

The world is a big, big place, full of billions of people, countless cultures and belief systems. It can be easy to live life exposed to only your surrounding environment, but the Internet opens the world and all that it has to offer to our children.

Exposure to politics, cultures, far away lands, different experiences and volunteer opportunities are often cited as positive aspects of social media. Kids report feeling more compassionate and involved in their communities and social media is known to be great vehicle for social awareness and the growth of charity causes.

Increased Exposure

Strengthened Literacy

According to The Raising Children Network, heightened literacy has been linked to the use of social media. This is important because this allows teens to access learning technology skills that will benefit them in this increasingly tech-savvy, digital world.

While we can’t ignore the well-publicized negative effects of social media, we can focus on the positive aspects. Keeping in mind how social media can help our children, we can relax a little bit and let them enjoy the positives of our online world.

Download OurPact for free today to ensure that your children are able to enjoy all the positives of social media and mobile technology, without their device habits getting out of control!

At OurPact, we encourage all parents to have a healthy conversation with your children about appropriate online behaviors, habits and digital activities.