Children mental health
There are many negatives to social media, like cyberbullying. But, everything is not negative about social media. Many teens consider that social media is positive, irrespective of its flaws. There have been many protests against cyberbullying, thanks to social media. It is all because of the savvy use of social media. Furthermore, it is of benefit when children connect and learn online. There are adverse effects if children extensively use social media tools.
Similarly, there are positive effects if kids use the same tools in earnest. It will also give them a sense of responsibility to broadcast things to the world with a few taps. So, here are five ways children can use social media for good.
If they have a purpose
When kids sign up on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, not only are they exposed to other distracting material, but they will also get to know about the critical issues in the world. That can only happen if they focus on those things instead of other things on social media.
Children may realize that they have a voice now that was not there before social media. They can do various positive things like crowdfunding projects to tweeting positive things, or simply raising their voice against something wrong.
For strengthening bonds
Not only do studies suggest, but we all know that social media helps strengthen bonds and even lets us connect with our long-lost friends. Therefore, if kids are using social media in an ideal way, they can connect with people, form bonds, and strengthen them. They should also remember not to give personal details to unknown people they find on social media. Thus, you should be cautious and not end up getting too close to unknown people online.
If they are expressing themselves
Self-expression is highly essential, and everyone must have the right to express themselves. Furthermore, things get even better if we get a platform for it. A majority of people express what they feel in the media. Producers, performers all use it to express what they feel. Similarly, digital tech lets kids share their work or their thoughts on a global platform.
With the help of it, they can even collaborate with other people and advance in their life. If children are serious about it, social media can give them crucial feedback to sharpen their skills.
They can lead by example.
Not only does social media let us help other people, but we can also help ourselves with it. Kids can do it by creating a positive online presence. It pays off in a huge way when you have to apply for jobs or scholarships. As a parent, you must teach your child to put their best foot ahead whenever they are online. Not only will they be helping themselves, but they will also be posing as an excellent example for their peers.
For helping someone
Many kids resort to social media and share highly personal information about themselves. There are advantages and disadvantages to it. Most of the time, these posts are about teens who are pleading for help because they think nobody is listening to them.
As a parent, you can guide your children to help their fellow mates. If there is someone that needs help, your child can lend an ear and cheer them up. Social media is of great use when it comes to helping people. Many times there have been so many incidents when a person in need of some help. When people see the post, they share it until it reaches a person who can help. And ultimately, the problem gets solved, and the person gets help.
How is social media beneficial to kids?
Social media gives a feeling of belonging.
Excessive social media use may isolate kids, but according to a study, American teens today have fewer friends than their previous generation when they were teens. But, they are less lonely than their previous generation. They do not feel isolated or lonely because of the presence of social media in their lives. They have also become more socially adept because of the use of it.
Social media provides support.
There is a high acceptance of social media. If your kid is interested in a subject not being taught in the school, there is always the Internet. Furthermore, even suicidal teens get immediate access to support on social media.
Many such incidents had happened when an online community talked a teenager out of committing suicide. One such incident was when an online community on Reddit talked a teen out of suiciding using voice-conferencing software. If you want to keep track of your children's' online activities, you must consider using Avosmart.
What is Avosmart?
Avosmart is a leading parental control software. You can do many things with Avosmart, like checking your family members' location to set time limits on apps. The following are the functions of Avosmart:
- You can filter websites that have sexual, violent, or similar adult content
- It lets you set time limits on apps, games, and browsers
- You can manage remotely by tweaking the settings
- It sends reports
- You can check the present whereabouts of your child or even the previous location
- It has a safe search mode for Google and YouTube
- You can check what your child sees on YouTube
- If you find that something is inappropriate in the YouTube history, you can block the channel