Parents Should Control Social Media Sites

In recent years, the use of social media sites such as Facebook, Skype, MySpace, Twitter, etc has reached its highest peak. The use of these sites is free and available to both children and adults. In the course of building up their social circle, adolescents spend more time communicating with friends online than the old “face-face” communication process. Although it is beneficial for the children to use these sites in communicating with families, discussing about homework with friends and gaining knowledge of their environment, they also need to be aware of the negative effects it could have. Therefore, parents should have control of the social media sites used by their children 14 years and younger because, it will make them focus more on achieving their top priorities in life and prevent them from stumbling upon the dangers on the social media sites such as cyber-bullying and online harassment.

The use of social media sites has been an uprising trend among the 21st century adolescents. Hence ever since “Smartphones” have been made accessible to these minors, they spend more time surfing the Internet than focusing on their education and communication with families and peers, which are their top priorities in life. In the article “The Effects of Parental Monitoring and Leisure Boredom on Adolescents’ Internet Addiction”, researchers observed that when adolescents spend too much time on the Internet, the repercussion would be damaging. For example, they are likely to have low grade scores, and not associate with others. (994). There is no doubt that spending too much time on the Internet give adolescents little or no time to study for academic purposes. It also creates a tendency for social seclusion. Rather th...

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...these sites is beneficial to our younger ones, both academically and socially, but the risks these minors are likely to face should not be overlooked. It is also important to note that the Internet can also be a dangerous place for them. It is also necessary, for parents to be aware of what their children do online; so as to set limits such as what sites to visit, and how long they need to be on the Internet. Moreover, the more the Internet is expanding and as the children get well acquainted in using it the more important it is for parents to monitor these minors. This measure would help limit the physical, emotional and psychological harm that these social network sites are likely to cause them such as low-self esteem, depression and suicide. It will also serve as a key factor to preserving how much information they post online, the image and values of the family.