Social media is known to have a long-lasting effect on social development and mental health. Since it is so prevalent within our society today, this exposure reaches all age groups, including the youngest generations. The consequences of this exposure are numerous and affect adolescents’ developmental skills for the rest of their lives. 

 Parents have differing opinions on when their children should be allowed to have a phone and be on social media. Surgeon General recommends that children under the age of 14 years old should not be allowed onto social media, but many still give their children devices mainly as a way to give them something to do and to distract them. However, parents often lack the knowledge of the many consequences this may bring to their children’s developmental skills. Parents must be aware of the consequences of social media and technology on their children when deciding when to allow them to use it. The National Library of Medicine indicates that 95% of youth ages 13–17 report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.” When everything is done online, it can cause children to lack basic social and developmental skills. A positive change around the halls at BSM is the new phone policy, allowing students to communicate and talk with their friends without constantly being on their phones. Junior Zaria Rose describes how her phone has impacted her social skills: “I do believe that having a phone from a young age has impacted my developmental skills, because of social media specifically. Social media is a very abnormal thing, and I think it has had an impact on my social skills in a sense. Social media makes you feel more connected to others, even if that is not the case in person. It causes you to have different relationships online with others than face-to-face,” Rose said. 

The influence of social media on children’s brains is detrimental. When children are introduced to social media at a young age, they can become very easily addicted without even realizing it. These effects include delayed maturation, shortened attention span, addiction, and more. A study on how early use of cell phones affects brain development explains how games influence children’s brains by teaching them to seek instant gratification rather than learning patience and skills that arise from trial and error. This study also explores how exposure to social media impairs the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that controls decision-making, impulse control, and reasoning. It is also one of the last parts to mature, so early cell-phone use can interfere with its development, shaping the parts it controls as well. It was found from research at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that children who routinely check social media change parts of the brain that control social rewards and punishments. Not only does social media change developmental and social skills, but it can also severely harm mental health. Cyberbullying is very common on social media, and it especially damages adolescents’ mental health. This effect may influence students’ study habits and overall developmental skills at BSM. Sophomore Ella Mueller discusses her experience with receiving a phone and shares her thoughts on the situation. “I do wish I got [my phone] when I was older because phones are so addicting from a young age,” Mueller said. 

Despite the many negative effects, some parents still force their children onto social media. For example, family channels frequently exploit their children from a young age, leaving the kids with no choice but to grow up with their whole lives being exposed online. Many of these children end up experiencing child abuse and forced child labor as well. The family channels the “8 Passengers” and “FamilyOFive” are both channels where children have been victims of this behavior from their parents. In both of these scenarios, the parents were criminally charged due to the treatment displayed online and off-camera. Online, these parents often force their children to be in front of the camera during personal moments or moments when they are obviously struggling, which are then seen by millions of viewers. Another similar situation where this exploitation arises is with “kidfluencers.” The parents of these children force them to create content and make money for them. A well-known example of this is the child star Piper Rockelle. From the age of eight, Rockelle was heavily exposed to the social media world. Netflix released a documentary on the darker side of her story, revealing how being forced online caused Rockelle and her friends to experience anxiety and a loss of personal privacy. This much parental pressure can harm children’s emotional development. The New York Times says something that is not examined as much as it should be is the working world of child influencers, who are now speaking out about the harsh, unsafe or emotionally taxing constraints of being broadcast by their parents. 

Social media also plays a significant role in the way children form their identity and view themselves. When young users compare themselves to others they see online, their perception of what is “normal” in society can be distorted. Adolescents as young as five and six feel pressured to fit in with influencers and use skincare and makeup products to feel better about themselves. This deeply affects their mental health and makes them feel pressured to conform to society’s beauty expectations, leading to low self-esteem, insecurity, and anxiety. The online environment teaches them to find validation from comments, likes, and followers. When children are allowed on social media, they are constantly exposed to content posted by other influencers. This can make them feel pressured to look or act a certain way, and the pressure feels unavoidable. Early exposure has many long-lasting effects on many aspects of their lives. The Social Media Victims Law Center explains that social media often leads to social comparison, seeking validation through likes and comments, and exposure to cyberbullying. 

Social media has far-reaching consequences on children’s social, mental, and emotional development, especially for children allowed on social media at a young age. The effects on adolescents range from cyberbullying and self-comparison to parental exploitation. It also deeply influences how they view themselves when they are constantly comparing themselves to unrealistic standards. As these risks accumulate, parents and other influences in children’s lives must be aware of the repercussions. Some effects of social media are unavoidable, but many can be controlled for young children who should not be exposed to certain content or even allowed online.