At just nine years old, a child today can hold the world in their hands – yet lose touch with the one around them.
For much of Generation Z, this is a reality.
Like many kids, I got my first phone not because I needed one, but because peer pressure made it feel like I’d be left behind without it. After countless months of begging my parents, they bought me my first phone. With a brand new iPhone 7 in hand, I felt like I had unlocked the rite of passage. However, once I downloaded popular social media apps – Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok – my life turned around. Social media exposed me to conversations that I wasn’t ready for.
There comes a point in a child’s life when they start to become subject to peer pressure.
According to Children’s Health, peer pressure begins as early as age ten with the formation of friend groups in elementary school. Peer pressure can come in many different shapes and sizes: what you wear, how you act, and now, whether you own a phone. When it comes to peer pressure caused by phones, it more specifically goes under the category of “social conformity.” Social conformity is the tendency for one to adjust their thoughts, beliefs, or lifestyle to align with those in a group or a social norm. The tendency for children or teenagers to succumb to social conformity is becoming more and more prevalent in this day and age.
Social media is dangerous.
While it isn’t physically dangerous, social media has created a culture of comparison and hate speech. According to the Anti-Defamation League’s annual survey, up to 22% of Americans reported experiencing hate speech online. For children and teens, especially, this can be harmful. The harm is rooted in a child’s maturity level.
Now more than ever, before children develop proper emotional and psychological tools, they are shown explicit and harmful content. Instead of connecting and building confidence, kids often find themselves isolated and insecure. In fact, a survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health questioned 14-24-year-olds on how UK social media has impacted their health. The results revealed that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image, and loneliness.
As social media platforms continue to shape young minds, it’s important to make a change. While it’s nearly impossible to disconnect children from social media completely, we can reform these platforms from within. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to enforce extra precautions through stricter content moderation, promoting digital literacy, and holding platforms accountable for the harmful environments they create.
Together, we must aim to create a space that fosters well-being and connection rather than harm and isolation.
