In today’s present world we are surrounded by vast amounts of technology. This includes cell phones, computers, television, the internet, and much more. Due to our technological advances, people have developed apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Youtube, and many more to help interact with both friends and strangers and view distinct types of content. Many who use social media apps are the younger generation this includes millennials and generation z. Some Boomers use social media but not as much as the younger generations. Those on social media experience many positive outcomes such as talking to friends online and viewing other people’s content, however social media can be a dangerous platform for them because they may experience situations in which they are being bullied or talking to menacing people. Many Younger people such as millennials and generation Z who are on social media believe that they are safe and secure, and social media isn’t as dangerous as researchers say it is. I agree that most people who I know use social media do not experience any harmful comments or threats from the internet, however, I must agree with the author Gila Cohen Zilka that the main problem of social media is both bullying and the invasion of privacy. I believe that many younger generations utilize social media without realizing the hazards  it may cause to their wellbeing. Well being means being in a state of happiness, comfort, and healthy. Therefore authoritative figures such as parents and schools should start monitoring the kid’s social media to prevent any dangers to their well-being.

Gila Cohen Zilka is the author of the article “E-Safety in the use of social networking apps by children, adolescents, and young adults.”Zilka conducted a mixed-method study that aimed to show the perspective of children, adolescents, and young adults on their usage, habits, and activities on social networking apps. In her study, 551 participants from Israel were divided into three groups: children, adolescents, and young adults. The participants completed multiple questionnaires in which they were asked about their name, age, as well as open-ended questions such as “What do you like about social networking apps?” and “Do social networking apps create problems in your everyday life?.” With their results, Zilka created 5 tables and these tables revealed how much time the participants spend on certain activities as well as the hazards and solutions of social networking sites according to the participants. 

In the end, her results stated that the participants who used social media in the study experienced bullying amongst their companions. Zilka stated that although social media brings upon opportunities it also creates a higher risk to the people’s well-being who use social media. She concluded that among the participants the problem was that many of them experienced shaming among friend groups. She stated that to combat this problem we as a society should put in the effort to resolve the issue. The children participants also brought up the idea that monitoring and external control can help prevent the dangers of social networking apps.

Zilka’s conclusion on the safety of younger generations on social networking apps resulted in a negative outcome. According to Zilka’s research(2018) results, many participants experienced “shaming among members of their group”(pg.188), Zilka advises that in order to prevent the negative outcome we must make an effort in resolving this issue. In other words, Zilka believes that a possible way in preventing shaming would be to bring awareness to this problem. I completely agree that we should make an effort in solving this problem, and just like the participants in Zilka’s research suggested that monitoring and having external control of the children on SNA can prevent this negative outcome. Therefore my view in solving this problem is by having authoritative figures such as parents and schools should start monitoring the kid’s activities on social media to prevent any dangers to the kids well being. 

Having both parents and schools monitor the younger children who are in middle school and elementary school will definitely help prevent any future dangers such as shaming/bullying which can lead up to mental health issues. However at this point, I would like to raise some objections that have been inspired by the skeptic in me, I have to admit that I have used social media for about 4-5 years now and I haven’t experienced any bullying or dangers and there are people my age who also have not experienced any dangers. Nevertheless, I believe that social media equally has its benefits and dangers. I started using social media when I was in 9th grade and by then I was a bit more mature and responsible for most things. However, younger children who are in elementary and middle school can be oblivious to dangers and many younger kids might say that monitoring their social media will cause an invasion of privacy. According to Zilka’s data, only 2% of the participants allow their parents to view their social media. I agree that monitoring can be an invasion of privacy but there are already companies who monitor people on social media to gain insight into what people like and dislike. It is considered the “norm” for these companies to surveil the people on social media apps. There is also research in which monitoring students resulted in a positive outcome. Therefore by having parents and schools monitor the children’s social networking activities, it would have a positive impact just as Byers’s research results about monitoring.

The article named “Monitoring social media and technology use to prevent youth suicide and school violence” by Jason Byers, Emily Graybill, Quynh Wellons, and Lonny Harper. The authors described in detail about a school district experience in a social media monitoring program that prevents both youth suicide and school violence. In the first few paragraphs, the authors mention that many have access to technology and most of the teens spend a vast amount of time on the internet to play games, “hang out” with friends, and look at different apps. They emphasize the point that younger people have access to the internet and essentially spend most of their time on it. The authors say that social media has created a platform in which individuals perpetrate acts of violence against each other, which can cause damaging psychological effects on school-aged minors. 

The study that the authors describe was taken in the Southeastern United States, study involved public school districts, and it involved a total of 17 schools. The school district made sure to receive the parents’ consent in order to let both the children and parents know what study they are participating in. Out of the 17 schools, 11 were elementary, 4 middle, and 2 high schools. The results they received were mostly targeted towards the younger kids rather than high school teens. The results of monitoring were positive, they were able to prevent any suicides and provide the students who raised a red flag with counseling. 

The authors from the article above state that the “district was successful in disrupting suicidal ideations of several students and ultimately saved their lives.” In making this statement the authors emphasize the point that monitoring students ultimately created a big positive impact on preventing suicides and assisted in making sure of their wellbeing. This is a very important breakthrough in how we as a society can prevent any dangers to the younger generations well being. I think that if more school districts can start monitoring their students’ activities on social media I believe there will be a promising footprint for the future of the younger generations well being. The authors of this article also mentioned that the study was costly, if we can involve the government into funding a social networking monitoring program then more schools around the country will be able to monitor their students and provide counseling to those who raise a red flag.

Younger generations including millennials and generation Z should become aware of the many dangers on social media, this includes bullying, invasion of privacy, pedophiles, and threatening content. The dangers of social media can potentially cause “psychological effects” (Zilka) and harm their happiness/health. By involving authoritative figures such as school staff and parents will absolutely make a great positive impact, with monitoring we can make sure students’ mental health is safe and make sure there aren’t any bullies or stalkers lurking around the younger generations social media. Although  there will always be various kids and young adults who will disagree with the idea of being monitored by their parents, let alone their school staff. There are already social media companies who monitor your social media activity and utilize the information for their benefit. Isn’t that invasive? We know that as children and adolescents grow up they learn to be more responsible and aware of these situations but it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to a person’s well-being. 

Sources

Zilka Cohen, G. (2018). E-safety in the use of social networking apps by children, adolescents, and young adults. Interdisciplinary Journal of e-skills and lifelong learning, 14 

Byars, J., Graybill, E., Wllons, Q., Harpers, L. (2020) Monitoring social mesia and technology use to prevent youth suicide and school violence, Contemporary School Psychology, 24, 318-326.