Social Media is Harming Our Children. Take a Stand! We can Help.
If you think children are not affected by social media, think again! Children already face many challenges without the added pressure that social media puts on them. Social media addiction negatively impacts children as their brains develop. Gigantic social media companies such as Meta, the owners of Facebook and Instagram, and Snap, the owner of Snapchat, know this and have had many lawsuits brought against them for targeting children’s insecurities and for wrongful death among other claims. Social Media companies continuously expose children to content that can cause them to have a decreased self-esteem, body image concerns, and cyberbullying and have used the pandemic as an opportunity to aggressively push their agenda. They know the impacts that these tactics are having on society and fail to protect minors from harm by using any safeguards to help keep our children safe. This harm can affect children in many ways including creating an addiction to social media that can lead to depression and suicide.
How Social Media Affects Children’s Mental Health
Social media platforms use algorithms to cater to the desires and preferences of users to keep them engaged for long periods of time. This exposure can cause many mental health issues. As an example, children are exposed to content that features models and what is perceived to be perfect body images which encourage children to aspire to look the same as these models. They try to meet this unrealistic standard through unsafe means such as anorexia and bulimia. Not achieving this goal can lead to depression, anxiety, body shaming, and self-harm up to and including suicide. Children may be ridiculed or embarrassed at school which can lead to loneliness and/or cause outbreaks and confrontations.
How Social Media Fails to Protect its Under-Age Users
Social Media platforms do not use any age or identity verification which can cause children to be exposed to solicitation for sexually exploiting content. Algorithms are designed to entice users to look at content and reels that seem to be never-ending and mentally affect a child’s wellbeing. Long daily usage can lead to sleep deprivation and other health related issues. Social media companies choose not to protect our children from these forms of “entertainment” but rather encourage it which can lead to addiction. We must demand that social media platforms implement more safeguards to better protect our children and hold them accountable for damages incurred as a result of their negligence and practices.
Signs to Look Out For if You Suspect Your Child to be a Victim of Prolonged Exposure to Social Media:
- Reduction of interest or interactions with people in social settings
- Loss of or the inability to concentrate and focus due to social media use
- Feeling the need to constantly visit social media sites or apps
- Putting themselves in harm’s way while using social media during activities like driving or working
We want to hold social media companies accountable for the damages they have caused you or your loved ones. Lawsuits against social media companies may force them to change their practices and algorithms. Let us help you receive the compensation you deserve.
Addictive Design of Social Media Apps, Anukriti Sharma, Dec. 12, 2019. Available at LinkedIn.
- Many social media companies design their platforms to be addictive to keep users engaged and to increase advertising revenue.
- Many social media companies design their platforms to be addictive to keep users engaged and to increase advertising revenue.
