Effects of Social Media, Negative or Positive?

We use media every day. Most of us are on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. We love how user-friendly these social media websites are, and how personal connections can be made with the click of a button! While media has many wonderful aspects to it, do we ever think of the negative effects that social media might have on children and the family? Below is a research article summary on the topic provided by Mary Beth.

The Negative Effects of Social Media on Children and the Family

Title #1:  It's a Boy Thing: The Role of the Internet in Young People's Psychological Wellbeing

Author:   Donchi, L. & Moore, S.

Year: 2004

Source:  Behaviour Change

Purpose of Study:  The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between psychological well-being and Internet use among adolescents, focusing not only on time spent on the Internet, but also on the relative strength and importance of both face-to-face and Internet friendship networks.

Number of Participants:  The participants were ages 15 to 21 years in the sample (114 males and 222 females).

Methodology:  The questionnaire consisted of sections designed to measure demographic variables such as gender, age, education level, Internet use, social networks, loneliness and self-esteem.  Various activities and techniques were used to measure for internet use, social network use, face to face contact, self esteem, and levels of loneliness.

Summary of Findings:   Males and females spent similar lengths of time on the Internet on an average day.  Males said they had more regular Internet friends than females.  For face-to-face regular friendships the trend was reversed, with females claiming more friendships.  Males were significantly more socially lonely than females and males were also significantly more emotionally lonely than females.  Those with more face-to-face friends had higher self-esteem than those in the low face-to-face friendship group.  Young people reported that the number of face-to-face friendships was clearly related to wellbeing.  These effects were stronger for boys, indicating that offline friends were particularly important as markers of wellbeing for them.  While online friendships were associated with better wellbeing for girls, the opposite was true for boys. Higher numbers of regular online friendships amongst boys were related to lower self-esteem and greater loneliness. Thus, the answer to the question of whether online social interactions can substitute for offline face-to-face friendships for young people during adolescence and early adulthood appears to be a definite 'no' for boys. Those young men who strongly emphasize the importance of their online relationships may be cutting off options for psychosocial development through the give and take of face-to-face friendships.  Thus boys appear to be disadvantaged both socially and emotionally by their reliance on Internet friendships.

Engage/Impact:  I work in the schools and can see the good and bad of the internet.  Boys without dads are a big issue in our schools.  If these young men find internet friends as a replacement for real good male role models, it can be a recipe for trouble.  There are a lot of bad things they can get involved in that may lead to more dangerous action.  This article emphasizes the fact that boys need real life positive role models in their lives.