In today’s society, social networking is one of the most common ways by which people communicate with one another. Because of this popularity, children want to start using social networks at younger and younger ages. There is really no way for parents to keep their children from knowing about social networking, since they hear about them constantly on television, in movies, and from their friends.
Young children are often mainly attracted to the idea of games and other fun applications associated with social networks. Older children and teens, though, are sometimes interested in meeting new people online, which can be quite dangerous. These topics and others are addressed below.
1. As mentioned above, the number one danger of kids using social networks is that they could meet someone who wishes to harm them. There are horror stories about children and teens being badly hurt or killed by people they met online. This is a serious concern and parents as much as possible should be able to monitor their kid’s activities online.
2. Research shows that engaging so much with social networking can lead to manic depression. This can be attributed to the emphases on the importance of one’s own daily activities that it is easy for children, who are not completely mature, to lose sight of the bigger picture.
3. Social networks can be addictive. This can result in children preferring to spend time online rather than engage in other actives. It is important for parents to limit the time their children spend social networking to make sure they live a healthy, well-balanced life.
1. Social networks can be fun. As mentioned above, many young kids simply want to play games and enjoy themselves on social networking sites. Some of the kids just go online to play games and have fun. Some even use this as a learning tool to advance their studies. If parents would know about these activities, then they don’t have to worry.
2. Social networking can be used to help kids understand the world around them. For instance, many newspapers and educational magazines have applications available on social networking sites. This is an excellent way to get children to read news stories and other important information. This is a major benefit of social networks.
3. If your family moves frequently or lives away from your extended family, social networking can be an excellent way for your kids to keep in touch with loved ones from other areas. This can create a sense of stability in your kids’ lives. You can even couple it with a LAN messenger for that serverless communication approach with your kids.