Social Media

While researchers say teens view social media as a way to communicate, parents should know that frequent posting is not necessarily tied to narcissistic behavior in younger people. "You really want to look not at what they post," said Larry Rosen of California State University, Dominguez Hills, "but how they react back when somebody dismisses them, makes fun of them, says their post is silly." Rosen further emphasizes that teens who are taught to reflect before they post are able to make more intentional choices online. Narcissistic patterns are subtle, but a strong reaction to criticism can indicate narcissistic tendencies.

While you have probably read numerous articles about the dangers of parents “oversharing” online when it comes to their children, it always seems to bear repeating that privacy is a fleeting thing at best.  For example, while you may feel safe knowing Facebook has some privacy protections, did you know that when you post something, including your children’s pictures, you grant them the license to use and display that content? As the author of the article Do Our Children Want To Be On Social Media? reminds us, “kids are taught at school never to reveal personal information such as their birthday, their address, their school, or the names of their friends or pets. Meanwhile parents may be posting photographs of beaming pigtailed children in school logo tee shirts, standing outside their own numbered front doors. Scroll down a bit to find their friends’ pictures name identified at a party, and throw in the family dog, and you have everything you ever need to hack their future email and banking passwords, never mind anything more sinister.”

While you have probably read numerous articles about the dangers of parents “oversharing” online when it comes to their children, it always seems to bear repeating that privacy is a fleeting thing at best.  For example, while you may feel safe knowing Facebook has some privacy protections, did you know that when you post something, including your children’s pictures, you grant them the license to use and display that content? As the author of the article Do Our Children Want To Be On Social Media? reminds us, “kids are taught at school never to reveal personal information such as their birthday, their address, their school, or the names of their friends or pets. Meanwhile parents may be posting photographs of beaming pigtailed children in school logo tee shirts, standing outside their own numbered front doors. Scroll down a bit to find their friends’ pictures name identified at a party, and throw in the family dog, and you have everything you ever need to hack their future email and banking passwords, never mind anything more sinister.”

It is estimated that 98% of millennials and teens are active on some form of social media. Ypulse, a site that reports on teen and millennial online behavior, recently posted five stats about social media that parents may find interesting. One finding states that 10-17-years-old “were really concerned” about what their parents posted about them on social media, and it was reported that kids were nearly three times more likely than parents to feel that there should be rules in place about what can be shared. When it comes to privacy, eight in ten millennials and teens would rather use a social network that only allows close friends to see their posts.

It is estimated that 98% of millennials and teens are active on some form of social media. Ypulse, a site that reports on teen and millennial online behavior, recently posted five stats about social media that parents may find interesting. One finding states that 10-17-years-old “were really concerned” about what their parents posted about them on social media, and it was reported that kids were nearly three times more likely than parents to feel that there should be rules in place about what can be shared. When it comes to privacy, eight in ten millennials and teens would rather use a social network that only allows close friends to see their posts.

Social media usage may be replacing drug use for teens, or so it appears. A Michigan University study recently revealed that in 2015 the percentage of teens using alcohol and drugs reached its lowest point since 1990, and some experts reason that the lack of offline experiences is driving the decrease. The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse explains: "There may be a protective effect brought about by the fact that they don't have so many occasions to get together where the use of drugs would be facilitated." 

Social media usage may be replacing drug use for teens, or so it appears. A Michigan University study recently revealed that in 2015 the percentage of teens using alcohol and drugs reached its lowest point since 1990, and some experts reason that the lack of offline experiences is driving the decrease. The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse explains: "There may be a protective effect brought about by the fact that they don't have so many occasions to get together where the use of drugs would be facilitated." 

Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook have all announced that they will be sharing databases to prevent terrorist groups from using the sites to post content and recruit. "There is no place for content that promotes terrorism on our hosted consumer services," the companies said in a joint statement.

Given the recent discussions about the spread of fake news on social media, critics hope this new collaboration could potentially pave a path for the companies to work together on other initiatives going forward. The problem of false news raises questions about the potential role these companies should play in battling that content. Some feel these companies have no business being arbitrators of the news or what’s right and wrong — and it would be easy for the companies to keep themselves removed and escape all responsibility in the matter. However, because of their outsized influence on today’s web, these companies are beginning to wake up to the fact that they will be held accountable for the content shared on their platforms considering that content has the ability to influence everything from terrorist acts to how people perceive the world on a global scale.

Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook have all announced that they will be sharing databases to prevent terrorist groups from using the sites to post content and recruit. "There is no place for content that promotes terrorism on our hosted consumer services," the companies said in a joint statement.

Given the recent discussions about the spread of fake news on social media, critics hope this new collaboration could potentially pave a path for the companies to work together on other initiatives going forward. The problem of false news raises questions about the potential role these companies should play in battling that content. Some feel these companies have no business being arbitrators of the news or what’s right and wrong — and it would be easy for the companies to keep themselves removed and escape all responsibility in the matter. However, because of their outsized influence on today’s web, these companies are beginning to wake up to the fact that they will be held accountable for the content shared on their platforms considering that content has the ability to influence everything from terrorist acts to how people perceive the world on a global scale.

Reading through posts and comments on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter can make it easy to convince yourself that social media is just a giant echo chamber where users with specific political views talk to each other and different viewpoints are ignored. That may not always be the case. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, being exposed to differing views via social media can sometimes cause people to rethink how they view a political issue. The Pew study found that 20% of those surveyed reported that their stance on a social or political issue was changed because of something they saw on social media, and 17% said that social media had changed their views about a specific candidate.