Today, society plays a vital role in our children’s lives, and socialization is an essential aspect of it. In this technologically advanced world, social media has been embraced as a new trend and has become a force to be reckoned with. For most of the teens today social media and virtual platforms have gained immense importance and rule their life without them even knowing about it. There are certainly some positive sides to it as well since children gather new experiences and perspectives through social media. It helps to widen their friend circle, enables them to connect with online pals, and also lets them take a break from the pressures of life up to some extent. However, like any other technology, overindulgence in social media can also have adverse effects. This is why it’s important to talk with the kids about how to use social media wisely to prevent them from getting too much addicted to this enticing new platform.
There are both advantages and disadvantages of social media,but one has to make wise decisions and choices while using it. Besides the problem of cyberbullying and online predators, kids also face the possibility of a physical encounter with the wrong person. It is important that these consequences are made clear to children before they step into the social media platform. Therefore, we at the K.R. Mangalam School, not only focus on instilling a sense of responsibility in our students in handling such technology but also advise the parents and guardians to take proper steps if they find their kids to start losing their way in the virtual world of social media. We have listed below a few effective methods that parents can use to identify and alleviate social media addiction from children:
Keep a check: Being vigilant in today’s interconnected virtual world is extremely important.If the parents notice that the child tries to finish his/her meal as fast as possible and is trying to avoid other activities to hop onto social media, then this may be the first sign of addiction. Keep a check on their online activities and put a time limit on your child’s online presence to curb this problem.
Don’t let them disclose everything on social media: Sharing too much information, private details, and photos on social media platform can have much more adverse effects than you can imagine. Posting inappropriate things can make their reputation at stake. More than just being harmful, it also is a severe lax in personal security which the parents must guard against at all times by continually monitoring their social media account albeit in an indirect way.
Make them communicate more with real people and experience real life: One of the most significant impacts of social media addiction is that the child is no longer able to concentrate on his/her education due to constant distractions coming from social media platforms. In extreme cases, the incidents of cyberbullying clubbed with the absence of real communication can lead to the development of depression as well. The online discussion seems to be easier for the children as it does not involve true emotions and face to face interaction and thus they can fake their feelings as long as they are on virtual platforms while curbing the actual interaction in real life.
Engage them in outdoor activities and open discussions: Parents should ensure that children have enough exciting activities outside the arena of social media. It can include various activities such as reading books, meeting friends, playing indoor and outdoor games, and much more. Spending a lot of time with children and understanding their needs and emotions so that they do not feel isolated is the best solution to let them get rid of social media addiction.
If you pay close attention to your child’s behavior and put efforts towards understanding their feelings, you can easily let your kids get rid of their craving for social media. We, at the K.R. Mangalam World School, one of the Top CBSE schools in Delhi, believe that continually communicating with kids and letting them pour their heart out is one of the most effective ways to stop them from getting addicted to social media or any other such virtual, unreal platforms. Only when kids get to understand that making friends in the real world, with the real people, is much more important than having hundreds of friends on the social media platforms, will they be able to understand the real essence of life. We, at KRMS, always teach our pupils that technology, if used appropriately, can be a boon, however, if its use goes wrong, it is nothing more than a bane. Likewise, if social media is used appropriately, it can be an effective way to relax the tiring minds and make good connections with old friends. However, if it transforms into a habit and obsession, it keeps children away from experiencing the real flavors of friendship and social life.