Social Media: How It Affects Children In Schools

Since social media made its debut on the World Wide Web, it has been a roller coaster ride.  It has taken the nation by storm and has affected all areas of life as we know it.  One of the most talked about subjects involving social media is how it affects education.  Educators have found social media to be a tremendous distraction to children in the school system.  Children who spend much of their time online find it harder to concentrate in class.  Often times they forget to do homework assignments because their minds are consumed with what is happening on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter.  

Some educators have even blamed social media for the drop in overall grades.  Children who would normally do extremely well, when exposed to social media, grades dropped at least a whole letter grade.  Most schools do not allow kids to carry cell phones on campus, but it has been found that the children sneak smart phones on campus so that they can keep up with their social media sites.  The children text and chat all while they are in class.  This means they are not paying attention to instructions and they are not focusing on learning valuable lessons.  Social media has become so much the norm and a child feels compelled to interact so they will not be excluded in the social groups that are developed among kids in schools.  Many people think that children who spend a lot of time on social networking sites have delayed social and emotional development.  Social media is believed to be the cause of children not being able to spell or read as well as previous generation.  This is because of the use of acronyms, chat lingo, and chat slang.  

            Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about the rapid growth of social media.  However, there are steps parents and educators can take toward limiting the amount of time children spend on the Internet.  Even though social media has created some negative images in the minds of some people, the Internet is more than social media and still harbors information that is valuable to our children.

Post your comments.