Modern Kids & Social Media: A Brief Exploration

Social media. It's a big part of our lives. Well, it's a big part of many peoples' lives. Apps like Instagram, facebook, twitter, tumblr, and google plus have been captivating the minds of people across the world. Teens are particularly obsessed with social media. Of course, social media can be entertaining and gratifying.

However, teens aren't the only ones using social media. Children as young as six years old are addicted and obsessed with the trends and popular videos that come up on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Although there is an age restriction, no one really follows those rules.

When asked why she loved going on social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook, eighth grader Ines Yang from South Pasadena Middle School said, "I love social media. It is so exciting to see where people went and what they did by looking on their posts on instagram. My favorite part is the joy of communicating in a way that you don't need to personally face the other person. It's so much fun, but sometimes it can be a lot of pressure. You have to take really good pictures and it can get stressful being stuck up with your amount of followers and the number of likes you get for a post. However, I can never give it up."

Some people argue that social media is extremely bad for people. According to Rant Lifestyle, social media can provide incorrect or unnecessary information. People may post things that are not entirely true, or they might accidently put down the wrong facts. Also, social media can enable people to stalk other users. Or, people might make public some personal information that should have remained private.

When asked why she thought that social media might be bad for the world, Angelina Cortez, a sixth grader attending South Pasadena Middle School, said, "I think that social media is bad for you because it doesn't allow you to build on personal and physical skills. For example, if you are just on your phone looking at Instagram all day, when will you have the time to play sports, read books, or play chess? People should still be allowed to do social media, however I strongly believe that there must be a limit. If there is no limit to the phones and social media, I am afraid that bad things will happen to our world and its inhabitants, us."

Being on your phone for too long in general is not a good idea at all. Everyone should build on other skills instead of "phoning" all of the time. Social media has undoubtedly changed the way younger generations interact, but its real impact, for better or worse, remains to be seen.

Hannah Kim, Grade 9

South Pasadena High School