Social Media Addition Is Very Real

We’re facing different playground in our children’s lives. Allowing them to access social media is having a negative effect on our future leaders. Social media is a daily destination for an estimated 4.8 billion people worldwide.  It’s predicated that by 2027, nearly six billion people will use social media daily. This is not a place for children under 13 to be exposed to. Younger children do not have the EQ (Emotional Intelligence) to deal with thousands of opinions, misinformation, and imagery that they really can’t interpret as reality.

What is seen, cannot be unseen. What information they absorb can drastically change their outlook on life further on. Let your child – Play with children their age and face to face.  We learn so much from each other, these lessons are essential for our children to learn empathy, conflict management and personalities are formed.

Here are some stats from Lamier Law firm, they don’t want to see any more children being exposed to a world they are not ready for!

Psychologists estimate that millions of Americans are addicted to social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Social media addiction statistics indicate that the younger generation is more easily addicted and more susceptible to negative effects such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts leading to an increase in social media addiction lawsuits.

• The average person spends two hours and 27 minutes on social media every day.
• It’s estimated that 210 million people worldwide are addicted to social media.
• More than half of all drivers admit to checking social media behind the wheel.
• Overuse of social media in children and teens can literally rewire their brains.
• Roughly 42 percent of teens admit that social media keeps them from connecting with friends in person.
• In a recent survey, 70 percent of teens said they feel left out or excluded because of social media.
• Suicide rates among teens have increased in the age of social media.
• Social media is more addictive than alcohol and cigarettes.

Research confirms that the more the average young person uses social media, the more likely it becomes that they experience serious mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia and attention problems.

According to 2023 survey data from Gallup, young adults between the ages of 13 and 17 spend an average of 4.8 hours on social media daily. Teenagers who use social media for three or more hours every day are at an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Teens who spend between five and seven hours a day using social media are twice as likely to exhibit signs of mental health problems.

Avoiding addiction

If your child is under 13 years, the answer is NO. It’s that simple. You are welcome to show them the platform with you in control when sharing news with family or friends abroad. That’s where their exposure should end.

Once they are old enough, its essential to play a role in their online life, follow and continually check their groups, posts, and followers. You must however promise to never comment.

Social media users must actively try limit their social media use, thereby decreasing the odds of addiction. Research suggests that social media use literally rewires the brain and that social media companies such as Meta have used this to keep users hooked and coming back for more. Evidence of this can be seen with the increase in social media addiction lawsuits in recent years.