Does social media really take away your sleep and peace? Know how badly it affects children's health.

Spending too much time on social media apps can increase problems like body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and low self-esteem. This is especially worrying for teenage girls.

In today's era, social media has become an important part of children's lives, but its use can also have many serious negative effects. Recent studies have shown that young children who use platforms like Instagram and Snapchat are more likely to have problematic digital behavior.

It's not so easy to quit or limit your child's time on social media. According to a national survey, 33% of girls aged 11 to 15 feel addicted to social media, and more than half of teens say it would be difficult to quit social media. So why can social media be so bad? Doctors tell us about the potential risks of social media.

 

 

Body image related stress

Spending too much time on social media apps can lead to problems like body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and low self-esteem. While this is particularly worrying for teenage girls, reports suggest that 46% of teenagers aged 13 to 17 said that social media has made them feel bad about their body. According to Dr Vijay Rathore, a child specialist, it is important to understand that with high-tech phones and different apps, it is very easy to click the perfect picture, which may not accurately represent one's real look.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying… is the use of technology, the internet and social media to harass, threaten or embarrass someone. Harmful language, pictures and videos are common. 64% of teenagers report that they often or sometimes come into contact with hate-based content. Dr. Rathore explains that the biggest challenge of cyberbullying is that it is always present, making it very difficult to stay away from negative conversations. 

Online Predators

Unfortunately, there are people on social media who target children and teens. Whether it's to sexually abuse them, exploit them for money, or sell them illegal drugs. It can be difficult for children and teens to know what to share online and what not to. Doctors say that parents should talk to their children about the potential threats of social media. 

Dangerous Viral Trends

You've probably heard about dangerous viral trends and the destructive consequences of trying them, such as getting arrested, hospitalized, and even dying. He says that children don't have the cognitive and executive abilities to think about harmful situations and understand why it might be a bad idea. So, sometimes they put themselves at physical risk.

changes in daily behavior

Apart from problematic digital behaviours, there may also be changes in the daily behaviour of children at home, such as increased irritability, increased anxiety, increased depression, sleep problems, low self-esteem, lack of attention and concentration, etc. According to him, if children are asked to stay away from social media and do their homework or any unwanted work, then irritability or frustration towards parents may increase. 

If you don't stop, the situation will get worse

Dr. Vijay says that if social media usage of children is not stopped, the situation will worsen in the coming days. Many teenagers and children are coming to us with problems like disturbed sleep, stress and anxiety or violent behavior. Smartphones and social media are responsible for most of these.

Parents should keep these things in mind

There is a need to reduce the use of smartphones or internet devices at home. Parents are largely responsible for this. Parents should give up the habit of giving phones to their young children to keep them busy. Apart from this, do not give phones to school going students unless there is a special need. The most important thing is to keep an eye on their digital content. Understand that the phone is causing the most harm to your children.