Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a stressful week of dealing with kid issues, a pandemic, work, and writing. Because I had a lot on my plate, I didn’t get a lot of writing done, but that’s okay. I needed to take a little break and refuel.
But enough about that, today I want to talk about a trend I see happening. First, I need to give you a little background, though. Hubby and I were shopping for a virtual reality headset for the boys for Christmas. We found one we really liked because it wouldn’t be obsolete in two years. Anyway, we were all set to buy it when we discovered that in order to activate it, my son would have to open his own Facebook account.
We dug in our heels and didn’t buy it. We don’t want our kids having social media accounts right now. Especially after watching the show “Social Dilemma.” I remember after watching that show, I made the remark to my hubby that soon this is going to be seeping into the kids’ video games, and not two months later we run into the above scenario.
This is dangerous. The reason being that it’s giving social media platforms way too much control. They are changing human behavior by creating personalized click bait for each member. Their goal is to increase engagement, so your child will spend his free time on their site. Now that they’re invading video games, they’re going after the younger crowd. They’re looking to expand their customer base and more importantly they’re going to gather the same information about your child that they’re gathering about you.
I don’t know how we can stop this. Facebook bought the company that created the virtual headset my hubby wanted to get for our son, so they can require this. No one is stopping them. So, what happens when your child spends more time with their computer than they do with people? Loss of social graces, loss of the ability to communicate face to face, and the loss of empathy.
All these skills are needed to navigate today’s world. What happens if you as a parent do their do diligence and try to teach these skills to your children? They’ll be the only ones with these skills and get lost in a sea of dealing with socially inept humans. It’s a sad state of affairs. I’m not sure what we can do to stop this from happening.
Do we have the government regulate social media? Who trusts the government these days? What are your thoughts? Do you have any ideas? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Great article Lisa, and very true that the social media is so into our lives, that they know what we would buy before we do and kids do need to be protected from this, at least before they are ready to ‘walk away’ from those cute pics and time-consuming stories. Thanks for brining light to this issue, it’s a big one for parents, I’m sure!
Thanks for stopping by, Joan. It is a big issue for parents and one I’m acutely aware of. I’m going to keep my finger on the pulse of this. I’ll keep everyone posted. I appreciate your support. 🙂
Great article, Lisa! I know it’s hard for parents who must teach their kids the dangers and traps of being on social media. Too bad schools don’t teach kids this skill, and bring awareness to the problem. It’s like the movie the Matrix, where everyone would rather take the blue pill, then the red one. Sigh. At least you’re a responsible parent. Cheers and be well, my friend!
Right back at you, my friend. It’s a crazy situation now with this Covid crisis and trying to keep kids active. Right now, all they can really do is get on their computers. It’s sad and scary. Thanks for stopping by, Sharon. I appreciate your support. 🙂
The best thing to do is to not install any social media accounts on phone. Sometimes, we do need to have social media accounts, it is best to access them through browser than an app on phone.
Ahhh….good point. Thanks for the tip, Arv! And thanks for stopping by! I appreciate reading your thoughts.
You are welcome, Lisa 🙂
Honestly, good for you. There are many adults who struggle with appropriate social media use. It must be so much harder for kids to figure out how (and how often) to use it.
Social media should be regulated if nothing else so that there are strict age limits set and enforced for who uses it. But beyond that I don’t know what the best thing to do is.
I agree with you, Lydia! Although, I’m not one for government intervention, I think this situation may warrant it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it! 🙂
Oh, I wish I had ideas–other than no social media for my kids, no phones. At their school, last year, they endured quite a bit of teasing about not having phones (they were 10!), but luckily they haven’t experienced that this year. I think you can only set values for your own family. I say all the time, “I’m not so-and-so’s mom.” Tough concept in this super-interconnected age, but important, I think.
I agree with you, Rebecca. We got the kids phones out of necessity, and they’re pretty good about staying off of them. It’s the video games I’m more concerned about.
Oh, yes, my guys love the video games, too!
On one hand they’re great, but on the other hand, I can see where they can become quite addictive. It’s all about balance, right? 🙂
Hi Lisa, I’m glad to hear you took a break. I did the same around the same time too! Sometimes we just have to do so – and not feel guilty about it either. I watched The Social Dilemna documentary and was horrified to be honest by some of what I was doing without even realizing it, such as looking at the notifications on the phone’s homescreen that popped up if I didn’t use my phone for a certain amount of time. It’s shocking what’s happening without realizing it.
I know. It’s scary. I’m hoping that the powers that be use this power for good instead of evil. But we shall see….Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it!
I don’t care what I have to give up to stay completely off of social media — I count the price well paid.
I hear you. It does have it’s drawbacks that’s for sure.