Should Parents have Access to the Social Accounts of their Children?

        The internet is actually an amazing source of entertainment and information. It is also a platform on which people can connect and communicate with others despite the distances that exist among them. What makes it incredible is that anyone can be a part of it. Even children can use the internet but that may not always be a wise thing. The evolution of social media has created both opportunities and risks, especially for children between the ages of 9-17. There are different platforms of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram that enable the users to make their own accounts. These platforms are the hubs of informative and explicit content other than potential cyber-attacks. “For keeping children safe, it is the responsibility of parents to have an access to their social media accounts and track their online activity.”

            Over the years, children have been the victims of cyberbullying. Social media allows everyone to create a fake account on the platforms. People can do anything without having to worry about being traced and it has become very simple for anyone to use the internet for bullying. Rumors, intimidating messages, and threats can be delivered to masses for blackmailing them (Buckingham & Willett, 2013). If these threats are not controlled, they can take a drastic turn as well. Furthermore, privacy and personal data can be shared and hacked easily. It can impact the personal life of children badly and similarly, identity theft is another important issue that can make the users of social media lose their personal information regardless of their age. Several Facebook and Twitter accounts have been hacked over the time and materials have been posted which have impacted the social lives of children. This is one of the most harmful disadvantages of using the social media (Radesky, et al., 2015).

            There are no restrictions to the type of material and content that can be posted on the platforms of social media. This content can be both harmful and addictive which is not good for the wellbeing of children. Teenagers are the most impacted by such type of addiction because they cut off their connection from their social-life and prefer to use the social media instead of anything else. Platforms of social media, especially Facebook has various games that it features and every user can play them easily. It actually means that a user doesn’t have to even use the computer or a phone for playing games. These games also play a significant part in the addiction of children and teenagers. It can not only waste the time but it can also lead the children to something that is not suitable for them at all. This is one of the most important reasons why parents should have access to the social accounts of their children (Brown & Bobkowski, 2011).

            Children between the ages of 9-17 are going through a phase when they are quickly adapting to new concepts and learning what they experience. That is the reason why it is preferred for the parents to focus on the development of their children and guide them to the right things. In this specific period, children tend to develop new interest and hobbies and when these habits are stronger, they stay with the kids even when they are older. Social media is something foreign and it takes people into a virtual world where direct interaction is not required. A person only needs an account without having to provide the actual information. It provides a perfect opportunity for the hackers to hack the accounts of children who don’t know that much about security and privacy of the social media.

            The excess use of social media can also affect the health and wellbeing of a child. After all, exercise and physical activity are the keys to being active, most of the children stop exercising because they are often using social media for playing games or just keeping the track of what others are doing (Strasburger, et al., 2010). Facebook is the perfect platform for knowing just what others or one’s friends are doing. Meanwhile, YouTube provides visual experience and there are countless videos available that a user can watch. What makes this platform harmful for children is that there is also less restrictions to how bold the visual content can get. Such type of content is not good for the children because it can affect their mentality severely. Children actually are more psychologically sensitive compared to adults because they have yet to experience the real world and how they perceive poor content might affect how they think and develop an addiction towards it. It can lead them away from their education as well. Although there are benefits of social media, there are some negative effects of social media as well. Social media affects children the most (Ahn, 2011).

            Parents are the building pillars of their children and they also become the very first source to give information and knowledge to their offspring when they are not able to learn on their own. They closely observe the antics of their children and whenever they do something wrong, they guide them just how to perform the same action in the accurate way. Parents want their children to be healthy and have habits which can make them good as humans and that also involves being able to study well. After all, education is very important in the nurturing of children (Dishion & Tipsord, 2011). Social media can be a hurdle in the way and that is parents should ensure that their children are not being affected negatively by it (Sampson, 2014).

            Social media has become an important aspect of the daily life at present. It has both advantages and negative effects on people, especially children. There are no restrictions, or very less which allows users to view all types of content. This content may not be very beneficial for children. Parents can ensure that social media is not negatively affecting their children be accessing their social media accounts and checking their activity. This way, parents are able to know whether their children need further guidance or not.

References of Parents Have Access to The Social Accounts of Their Children

Ahn, J., 2011. The effect of social network sites on adolescents' social and academic development: Current theories and controversies. Journal of the American Society for information Science and Technology, 62(8), pp. 1435-1455.

Brown, J. D. & Bobkowski, P. S., 2011. Older and newer media: Patterns of use and effects on adolescents' health and well‐being. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), pp. 95-113.

Buckingham, D. & Willett, R., 2013. Digital generations: Children, young people, and the new media. s.l.:Routledge.

Dishion, T. J. & Tipsord, J. M., 2011. Peer contagion in child and adolescent social and emotional development. Annual review of psychology, Volume 62, pp. 189-214.

Radesky, J. S., Schumacher, J. & Zuckerman, B., 2015. Mobile and interactive media use by young children: the good, the bad, and the unknown. Pediatrics, 135(1), pp. 1-3.

Sampson, R. J., 2014. Family management and child development: Insights from social disorganization theory. Facts, frameworks, and forecasts, pp. 63-94.

Strasburger, V. C., Jordan, A. B. & Donnerstein, E., 2010. Health effects of media on children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 125(4), pp. 756-767.