Social Media and our children

While looking for my last article I found one that will also be useful in my field of work, Education. This article is entitled More than half of children use social media by the age of ten:Facebook being the most popular site these youngsters join. This article was published almost a year ago and I am sure that children are always figuring out new way to do things they are told they can not. However in this article I find it disturbing that children so young are on social media. This is just another way children are being exposed to things at a younger age such as sexualization, cyber bullying, and online predators. While everyone these days seems to have a cell phone I do not think that children should be on social media. I know that in a previous article that I wrote about it talked about how it could boost self esteem but when younger children are on social media that does not seem to be the case. These cases are the alarming because most parents do not feel that they can confidently protect their children online. Children are curious and most by the age of twelve had messaged a stranger. This is unacceptable. These children are not fully aware of what is going on when they are online and that is because they are to young to fully understand it is a dangerous place to be for them because they are so undereducated when it comes to the Internet. Snap Chat is also popular for younger people. This is scary to think of what is being sent across this social media. These pictures are only allowed to be viewed for so long from what I have heard. So people feel safer when they are "sexting". Children, young adults still do not understand that once something is online it is there forever! Someone when looking at those pictures could copy that image and post it anywhere or send it to anyone. Over all this article is something that everyone who has children should read and those whom what to have a family to help start the conversation about what online safety and social media to ensure our children are safe. I do not think these children should be allowed to have social media at these young ages but they are figuring a way to get them and we need to make sure they are safe no matter where they are!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2552658/More-half-children-use-social-media-age-10-Facebook-popular-site-youngsters-join.html