How media affects children's well-being

Hello guys!😊

In this blog post, I will be briefly focusing on how social media affects children in psychological, physical and social ways. 

I also will be talking about guidelines offered for parents, and what is my opinion on those. 

So I found this research online, which is made by Niina Paalimäki (Opinnäytetyö Huhtikuu 2015). In the research it is said that social media can affect children's self-esteem, body image, mental health and cognitive skills.

Psychological effects

1. Self-esteem

 Social media adds a sense of belonging and thereby improves children's self-esteem. It can also have negative effects. For example, some children might experience cyber bullying, which can lead to low self-esteem.

2. Body image

In the research it is considered that media has both positive and negative effects on body image. There are lots of unrealistic beauty standards going around the internet, and it can be harmful to children's body image. They might be comparing themselves with celebrities for example. But social media can have positive effects on body image. There are, for example, movements which are all about body positivity. These type of moments can help children love themselves the way they are.

3. Mental health

 Watching a lot of TV can increase children's psychological distress. One of the most significant concerns is the potential for cyber bullying, which can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

4. Cognitive skills

Excessive early exposure to television can diminish a child's concentration skills. Children have the tendency to absorb and adopt behaviors, both positive and negative, from others on social media. While social media usage may promote multitasking, studies indicate that multitasking can negatively impact cognitive performance, potentially leading children to face challenges in efficiently handling multiple tasks simultaneously.

Physical effects

1. Physical activity

Abundant media use can reduce children's physical activity, and little exercise has a negative effect on physical health. This can lead to obesity and other heath issues.

2. Sleep disorders

The use of electronic devices for social media, especially before bedtime, exposes individuals to blue light, which can disrupt the circadian rhythm and interfere with sleep quality. Poor sleep has physical implications for overall health. Also if the child watches violent media content it can lead to sleep disorders.

Social effects

1. Friendships

Study shows that social media increases friendships. Social media was also considered to facilitate the maintenance of relationships and to have a positive effect on the quality of relationships. While social media enhances virtual connections, it can also contribute to feelings of isolation and loneliness, especially if users perceive that others have more vibrant social lives.

My opinion on guidelines for parents😊

So there is this online handbook for parents that tries educate the parents how they can set healthy boundaries between the children and social media use. The text is by: Experts from the National Audiovisual Institute’s Department for Media Education and Audiovisual Media (MEKU) and it is 24 pages long.

I do think that it might be helpful to parents. I do not have kids on my own, but if I end up having children in the future, these type of guidebooks would be helpful to me. Of course If the parents already have a clear way how they want their children to use social media then it is not helpful. 

Thank you for reading 😊

-Julia