Social Media, Cyberbullying, and Mental Health

As mentioned in a previous post, cyberbullying can affect anyone of any age, but is more common and more harmful amongst teens. Our teenage years are when we start to experience some independence and feel like we are breaking out into the world. We sometimes feel that we can redefine ourselves and leave the embarrassments of childhood behind. During these formative years, making good decisions on what we present on social media can be difficult and leaves us exposed to dangers like cyberbullying. 

In this article, we’re going to be discussing the risks that teenagers face when using social media. As parents and guardians is it our responsibility to look out for harmful behaviors on social media platforms. While remaining educated about the types of applications our children use, there are other points to keep in mind.

How Social Media Can be Harmful

Firstly, almost any social media app can be used to share explicit content. Some, like Snapchat, even have ‘disappearing’ messages. Secondly, most Terms of Service for sites say that the user must be over the age of 13 or have parental permission. However this policy is difficult to police with no realistic way to verify that a new user is telling the truth when they set up their profile. 

Other things to be aware of include: 

• Many apps do not moderate their content up front and rely on user reports to remove harmful posts of misinformation.
• Most apps allow file sharing between users, regardless of friendship.
• Apps like TikTok and Instagram have ‘Go Live’ features that allow users to stream live videos to anyone on the app. 
• Most social media apps use geo-tagging or geo-location. This allows bullies or predators the ability to obtain personal information without even speaking to your child.
• Not all social media apps have intuitive security and/or privacy controls.
  

Talk To Your Kids About Social Media

The quickest way to identify and prevent cyberbullying on social media is to talk to your children. Even if your children use one word answers or grunts in response to your questions about their online lives, it’s important that they feel that you are open to conversations about their online lives. You may also benefit from asking indirect questions to help them open up. Instead of demanding to know what your child is looking at, ask them about a popular influencer or brand they like. Of course, they might just tell you that you’re uncool for mentioning anything. However, it lets them know that you have some knowledge of the app. 

Keep in mind that as soon as your child has access to social media, they have an online life. They have a whole world to themselves in that small device and they have some expectation of privacy. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t monitor your child’s online presence. It does mean that online monitoring should be a conversation between you. Talking about social media and monitoring can help create a trusting relationship between you and your child. Communication is a two way street and trust is the funding to keep it maintained. The unmonitored child is at a higher risk of cyberbullying and being targeted by online predators. 

Mental Health Impact

On top of the effects of cyberbullying, early exposure to social media can also impact your child’s mental health. Between the ages of 10 and 19, a human brain undergoes a highly receptive and sensitive period of development. This is when we begin developing our own identities and our sense of self-worth. We are also incredibly susceptible to social pressures and peer comparisons. When we introduce social media into that mix, we see an increase in anxiety and depression in college students, and a decrease in life satisfaction for young teenagers (ages 11-13 for girls, 14-15 for boys).

Studies have also found that social media may lead to body image issues and disordered eating behaviors. Additionally, there is also a ‘fear of missing out’ on social media (the idea that others are having rewarding experiences that we are excluded from). This also contributes to poor mental health and low self-worth.