1. Selpon pa more!:The positive and negative impacts of social media to children and teens.
Background of the study
Social media is an online platform that individuals use to create social relations with
others who have the same interests, hobbies, activities, and connections in real life.(Akram,
2017). Social media is beneficial on different aspects such as business for advertising,
education for easy access to school materials, entertainment for sharing entertaining
contents, and communication for interacting with people across different
places.(Orublig,2022) The most common social media platforms include Facebook, that is
used for social communication, live streaming, and content posting, YouTube, a
video-sharing site that allows access to different educational and entertainment videos,
Twitter, a microblogging platform that is used to upload encoded text(tweets) and share
tweets of others(retweet), and Instagram, a platform that is used to post photos and
videos.(Zimba and Gasparyan, 2021)
In addition, some studies suggest that social media has positive effects and benefits.
According to Bhargavi(2023) the benefits of social media include the following: social
interaction and connection to friends and families , a source of knowledge, a way to discover
and learn new things, enhances one's practical skills on handling technology, and develops
communication skills
Due to its convenient functions, social media users across the globe are significantly
high. Based on the study of Moran(2023), there are around 4.62 billion users of social media
all over the world which is equivalent to 58.4% of the global population.
Behind the benefits and positive effects of the different social media platforms, there
are also risks. According to Allen (2019), social media can be a channel that allows users to
access disturbing and harmful contents such as pornography and violent pictures and videos
which will be inappropriate for teenagers and children.
Despite the harmful contents that users are exposed to, the rate of young users of
social media are significantly high. According to a report published by UNICEF(2019),
around one in three internet users worldwide is a child, which translates to roughly 800
2. million children. The report also states that social media has become an integral part of
young people's lives, with an estimated 71% of young people aged 15-24 using social media
globally. Moreover, a global survey by Ipsos MORI(2021) found that among children ages
10-19 in 32 different countries, 61% reported using social media. The highest levels of social
media use were found in the Middle East and North Africa (85%) and Latin America (82%),
while the lowest levels were in Europe (48%).
On the other hand, the Philippines has one of the highest rates of social media usage
among teens and children. According to a survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics
Authority(2020) 80% of children aged 6-12 years old and 86% of teenagers aged 13-19
years old in the Philippines use social media. The survey also found that Facebook is the
most popular social media platform among children and teenagers in the Philippines, with
around 72% of children and 92% of teenagers using the platform. Other popular social
media platforms among Filipino children and teenagers include YouTube, Instagram, and
TikTok.
This is very alarming as social media does not only have positive effects it also have
many negative effects, especially to teens and childrens. The use of social media can cause
behavioural changes on kids such as increased anxiety and irritability, and low
self-esteem.(Cleveland Clinic,2021) More negative effects are enumerated from the study of
Akram(2017) such as low academic performance, reduction in creative writing skills,
reduction in face to face socialisation, limited physical activity, and dependence on
technology and social media. Social media can have both good and bad effects on a person
depending on how it is used. If it is used correctly and responsibly, it can bring positive
benefits such as having a wider connection with other people, spreading knowledge and
information, and it can also be a platform for discussion and discussion of issues.
On the other hand, if it is not used correctly and responsibly, it can cause a negative
effect on a person such as having an addiction, having a negative self-image, cyberbullying,
and spreading fake news and misinformation.
3. So it is important to be responsible and careful in using social media and always
avoid its negative effects.
With this, the researchers aimed to determine the positive and negative impact of
using social media on teens and children.
Statement of the problem:
Research Problem:
General Question:
What are the causes and effects of social media use on children and teens?
Specific Question:
1.Why do teens and kids use social media?
2.What are the factors that drive kids and teens to use social media?
3.What are the effects of social media on different aspects?
4.What are the ways to reduce the negative effects of social media?