Social media is one of those things that is now tightly woven into the fabric of the first world. With seemingly every person being active or utilizing social media in some form ranging from business to leisure it is certainly a hot commodity. But one big question that has been raised in recent years is. Should young kids be using it?

According to an article published by CNN Health, the average age for kids to start using social media is 12.6 years old. In my opinion, a 7th grader shouldn’t be using social media. Now that might seem like a strong stance to take. And I partially agree. In this day and age there’s no way you could not let your 12 year old use social media. It’s how you connect with friends and how young kids feel accepted. But I think that is partly where the problem lies. 

Social media is not exactly the best when it comes to body image for young boys and girls who are trying to figure out their place in the world. And with the rise of filters and different apps that change the way you look it can be very detrimental to the confidence of these children, especially if they don’t know what to look out for. 

I know when it came to my own experience with social media as a child I would compare myself a lot to the popular celebrities and influencers. I always wondered why I couldn’t look like them. And it made me look at myself in a way that was very damaging to my mental health. Now that I am older I know that much of what I see online is heavily edited content. 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, heavy use of social media for kids increases there anxiety, irritability, and low self esteem. 

But because social media is so prevalent now, especially with young kids, I think there are ways you can let your kid participate without them being affected by these things. I think teaching your children healthy discipline in time management could help. As well as explaining to your children that what they are seeing is heavily edited or manipulated to look a certain way and being sure you instill confidence in your children can help fight some of these bad side effects of social media. 

Social media as a whole isn’t a bad thing. It’s a great way to connect with friends, family and hobbies. But with it comes a responsibility of the user and legal guardian to filter and explain what goes on online.