Author: Swati Mohandas
Social Media is a vital aspect of ‘Young adults’ social and creative lives. Popular social media platforms are Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and few others. These platforms are used to make and maintain friendships, share interests in education and sports, to have fun and enjoyment.
It can have a positive effect on youngadults as it helps them to improve their communication skills, express themselves creatively and build their confidence.
Social media can be an educational resource. It often presents opportunities for debate and conversation, allowing students to learn how to discuss on a variety of topics.
It can help teenagers who might struggle to communicate otherwise in person to develop their social skills in a space where they have more time to think about their actions and find people who share their interests.
It also has content in a variety of forms, for people who like to write or create graphics and digital designs, social media is an ideal place to share their work and get encouragement and feedback from others.
As a tool, Socialmedia is a double-edged sword. While it has many benefits, it can also influence the young generation adversely.
One of the most well-known downside of social media is the addiction. Youngsters end up spending hours each day watching videos, photos and other contents posted regularly on the apps.
Based on the content if a person spends time constantly validating oneself on these social platforms then there is a need to call for (professional) help.
One needs to understand that social media is a virtual world. Fake profiles are created, Photos can be photoshopped to look perfect. Cyberbullying, if not handled properly could lead to anxiety and depression to the victim.
The ‘oversharing’ happening on social media makes children and teens a target for predators and hackers. Young adults are naive and immature to a certain extent and when exposed to content which are adult in nature, violent or abusive in expression, would have a negative impact on their minds.
Thus, parental intervention is of utmost importance. Set the ground rules before handing a smartphone to your teenager. He/She needs to be made aware of the pros and cons of the social media.
Posting of pics online should be monitored to control sexting and other explicit sexual behaviour. Many teens don’t want their parents looking through their texts and media posts.
Parents need to explain why their presence on the media need to be monitored, communicating with your teens about social media can build responsible behaviour, and they learn to be accountable for their actions.
To sum it up, my point of view is that Social Media should be used moderately and to search for relevant information which is beneficial for the user’s development. It can be used effectively to learn, to inspire, to share. Parents need to be vigilant of their young adults usage of this platform. A balance needs to be achieved to use the social media effectively.
About the Author:
I am a Philosophy graduate and a certified computer professional from Mumbai and based in Pune with my family from the last 2 decades.
Literature always fancied me. I pen down short stories, blogs, poems and has forayed into freelance content writing. I even published an award-winning book of collected poems titled ‘Myriad Whispers’ which is available on Amazon.
When not writing, I enjoy listening to music, exploring the outdoors and scanning local bookstores.
Wow Swati, this is a #MustRead article for the parents and children, thank you so much for writing this. Loved it , beautiful
Thank you dearie for encouraging my write ups! ????❤️????