Did you know that some employees (or former employees) of big tech companies don’t allow their children to use social media?
As technology insiders who understand how these platforms operate, some have gone so far as to say, “The very foundations that drive this industry are fundamentally detrimental to the safety of our children.” It’s not hard to see how social media may not be the best choice for the development of children’s minds. Have we really thought deeply about how dangerous it really is?
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is concerned that we are not paying as much attention to the dangers of social media as we should be. That led him to ask Congress to approve warning labels for social media sites to give users — parents and children alike — a chance to think twice before recklessly and unsuspectingly venturing into the electronic world.
But even though Murthy made some compelling arguments in an article published this week, many are still scratching their heads, wondering whether such action is worth it or would have any effect.
More poignantly, given that the surgeon general’s request requires congressional action, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins asked on Tuesday’s “Washington Watch”: Should Congress consider this initiative in the first place?
“Given the growing body of research revealing the intentionally addictive nature of social media platforms,” Perkins said, there’s a lot to consider. “Obviously, parents should monitor what their children are consuming online and whether they should be online, but is there some extra help in the form of warnings that are needed?”
Tim Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, also joined the discussion, first urging: “[W]We better do something because in the end, we are going to lose our children.
Clinton acknowledged that “there are many factors involved” in why social media is harmful. But ultimately, “we all know that these phones, those devices in our hands” are being manipulated algorithmically to target children.
Take, for example, a child who has been “discouraged, frustrated, or bullied.” What happens when they turn to social media to numb their pain or distract from their worries? According to Clinton, they simply “end up being targeted by information and images and more information and images that only push them further and further in these directions.”
Perkins said not only do children fall into a wormhole of cheap entertainment that makes existing symptoms worse, but “the likes that someone gets are instant gratification…” [and] An immediate response that actually releases dopamine…a feel-good neurotransmitter.
So, in the final analysis, a child who needs real interactions, real processing, and real life is simply a technological Band-Aid on emotional trauma. This can have real and often damaging “physiological effects” on the user.
Clinton took a step back to discuss “two real models that stand out” in the fields of mental health and addiction research. First, he said, was “substance abuse addiction,” in which chemicals are injected that “hijack the brain.” Not only is this “highly addictive,” but it’s often not immediately recognized.
Second, Clinton explains the concept of behavioral addiction, which includes examples of gambling or viewing pornography. Similar to drug abuse, behavioral addiction can “hijack the brain.” Clinton emphasized that no matter which path one finds oneself on, “it’s intoxicating.”
He continued, “We see this happening across the entire online world,” and it doesn’t take much to see that “everyone, wherever you go… [is] From churches to restaurants… to schools, they use their phones. Clinton sighed, finding it almost hard to believe how dominant the use of technology has become. But “when you become a target, it drains your energy.” Perkins agreed, concluding that it’s akin to a “whirlpool” that “just sucks you in.”
What is the child attracted to? Clinton describes the three P’s that children are exposed to online: pressure, pornography and predators. For the developing mind, the stress caused by the comparisons and hatred that occurs on social media platforms is harmful.
In addition, Clinton emphasized that approximately 50% of “online websites are pornographic websites in nature” and that these content will reach young children. Finally, numerous studies and evidence demonstrate that countless predators strategically use social media platforms to harm unsuspecting children. “We have to do something,” Clinton said. “We have to help parents get control of this.”
To that point, Perkins asked why so many parents are reluctant to participate. Furthermore, for those who choose to participate, what can they do?
Clinton began by explaining that the reason many parents choose to distance themselves comes down to doing what seems like the simplest of things. They say ignorance is bliss, “It’s easy to let kids have phones or let kids do their own thing,” he said candidly. “You’re tired. You’re exhausted. The pace, stress, and pain of modern life are torturing everyone. Therefore, it’s easy to “drift away” online.
Clinton added that it’s easier to keep it that way. “When people get addicted to it, they get defensive, they get resentful. You try to get them to hang up… and the next thing you know, you’re in a fight. Many people, he noted, “just don’t want to be there. “. But we must remember the “tragedy” of “our children being lost in this online world.”
So, what can be done? As for Murthy’s thoughts, Clinton said warning labels could help, but “we’d better do more. We’d better figure out how to tell parents how to handle this properly so we can see The good and making sure we protect ourselves from the bad.
When you see your child spending time online, especially if you notice the throes of depression such as defensiveness, bad temper, and an overall disinterest in real life, that’s when parents can step in and connect with their child.
“I value relationships,” Clinton said. “There’s a beautiful word called ‘attunement.’ Can you see where your kids are and what they’re going through? Busy, preoccupied parents miss all those clues or opportunities for those special moments. But ‘Kids Want to Build relationships with mom and dad, so we start there. “
Clinton concluded: “Let’s build the bridge again and… make sure people see them, [they] Know what you like about them. Make sure your children know this. And find out how to help them with their emotional regulation issues and chaos that’s going on in their lives. If parents “are involved, the number one thing that can still make kids happy is to have a good relationship with their parents.”
This article originally appeared in The Washington Stand.
This article originally appeared in Western Daily News.
