Should Minors Be Allowed To Have Social Media?

501 Words2 Pages

Although social media is glorified in modern day society, it comes with many dangers that are overlooked – especially for the younger generation. Many of the dangers include that you're never really sure of who you're talking to online nowadays, cyberbullying, and it deteriorates one's communication skills. Because of the dangers, minors should not be allowed to have social media until they are of age. Online, especially in today's age, a person never really knows who they're talking to. In the documentary Megan Is Missing, 14 year old Megan talks to a strange man she met online who claims to be a boy her age and in her area. After a few days of talking, they meet at the local mall's parking lot, only to discover that he's actually a 40 year old predator. He kidnapped, raped, and left her for dead. Social media is an easy medium for predators to lure young girls and boys, especially because that's when they're most naive. Along with predators lurking on the net, cyber bullying is common among minors. According to Times Magazine, the highest rate of cyberbullying occurs among minors as young as 13. Also along with the sad truth that 73% of cyberbullying victims end their own lives. This kind of behavior exemplifies the reason that minors should not be on social media because they're not mature enough to understand that their actions come with consequences, …show more content…

Homework will normally get pushed to the side in favor of scrolling Twitter if a teen had to choose. The repercussions of postponing responsibilities are bad habits that the minor will develop. Many kids nowadays even sneak phones into their classrooms and goof around instead of paying attention. Friends and family may also get brushed off at get togethers and parties if a child is absorbed in answering Facebook messages. It can be a waste of time and it reduces options to have hands on

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