DON’T BLAME TECHNOLOGY SET LIMITS ON CONSUMPTION
Remember, the goal is not to eliminate social media altogether, but to develop a healthy relationship with it. By setting reasonable limits and practicing responsible usage, you can prevent social media addiction and promote a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle.
TRY PARENTAL GUIDANCE
Set Limits On Screen Time – Determine how much time you want to spend on social media each day and set a timer to enforce.
Take Regular Breaks- Take breaks from social media throughout the day to give your mind a rest and prevent overuse.
Alternative Activities- Find alternative activities to engage in when you would typically be using social media, such as reading a book, going for a walk, or spending time with friends and family.
Turn Off Notifications- Disable social media notifications to reduce the urge to check your accounts constantly.
Use Productivity Apps- Use apps that track your social media usage and provide reminders to take breaks.
Seek Professional Help– If social media addiction is having a negative impact on your mental health, seek professional help from a therapist or counsellor.
Practice Mindfulness- Practice mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or meditation, to reduce stress and increase awareness of your social media habits.
THE SAN Mateo County Board of Education has taken a stand against social media companies such as Facebook and Instagram, alleging that their platforms have led to a mental health crisis among students by causing addiction.
The complaint filed by the board highlights the diversion of resources from traditional teaching goals to address psychological problems that have no historical precedent, such as rising rates of suicide. Several other school districts across the US, including Seattle, Florida and Arizona, have also filed similar lawsuits. In addition, individual youths and their parents have launched suits against these companies.
72% of teenagers in the US use social media multiple times a day, and 59% of parents feel that their teens are addicted to their mobile devices. (COMMON SENSE MEDIA IN 2018)
Responding to the complaint, Meta Platforms, Facebook, and Instagram’s parent company, claimed that it is committed to ensuring the safety of teens online and offers more than 30 safety tools for kids and families, including age verification technology and supervision tools. The company also sets teen Instagram accounts to private by default and encourages them to take regular breaks. Moreover, Meta Platforms prohibits content that promotes suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders, and identifies more than 99% of the content it removes or takes action on before it is reported to the company.
45% of teens say they are online almost constantly, and 95% of teens have access to a smartphone. (PEW RESEARCH CENTER IN 2018)
These allegations by the school board reflect the growing concerns about the impact of social media on children’s mental health. Several studies have linked excessive social media use to negative impacts on well-being, such as increased rates of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Critics have accused social media com-panies of designing their platforms to be addictive and delivering harmful content to adolescents and teens, contri-buting to the ongoing mental health crisis among young people. As more lawsuits are filed against these companies, it remains to be seen how the courts will respond to the allegations. Although social media platforms require users to input their age during sign-up, it is alarmingly easy to bypass this mechanism. This loophole allows young children to access social media sites, making them vulnerable to the addictive and potentially harmful effects of prolonged exposure to these platforms. Thus, it is critical that stronger measures are taken to prevent this current “social media epidemic.”
95% reported using the internet for school-related purposes 67% using it for online research and 56% using it for online assignments (A 2021 SURVEY BY STATISTA IN US)
As Karl Marx famously stated that “religion is the opium of the masses,” I believe that social media is the modern cocaine of the masses, available to anyone from toddlers to billions of people worldwide. It is our responsibility to curb this addiction and prevent it from polluting the minds of our youth. We must prioritize safeguarding the mental health of children by implementing more effective measures to prevent their exposure to social media addiction.
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