Do you use social media?
If so, what apps do you use?
How old were you when you started using them?
Why did you choose to join?
Were your parents involved in your decision?
If not, why have you chosen not to use social media?
In “New Facebook App for Children Ignites Debate Among Families” Mike Isaac and Natasha Singer write:
Few big technology companies have dared to create online products for boys and girls ages 13 and under.
But on Monday, Facebook introduced an app called Messenger Kids that is targeted at that age group and asks parents to give their approval so children can message, add filters and doodle on photos they send to one another. It is a bet that the app can introduce a new generation of users to the Silicon Valley giant’s ever-expanding social media universe.
In doing so, Facebook immediately reignited a furious debate about how young is too young for children to use mobile apps and how parents should deal with the steady creep of technology into family life, especially as some fight to reduce the amount of time their sons and daughters spend in front of screens. On one side are parents like Matt Quirion of Washington, who said Facebook’s snaking its way into his children’s lives at an early age would most likely do more harm than good.
“I’m an avid social media user, but I don’t feel my kids need more social interaction,” said Mr. Quirion, 39, whose three children are between ages 3 and 9. “They need their personal time to process all the social interaction and learn to grow into mature people.”
Just as vocal are parents like Parker Thompson of Alameda, Calif., who said children’s adoption of technology is an inevitability and who appreciated Facebook’s approach with the new app.
“Today, much of the time our options come down to giving kids devices and trusting things will work out, watching them closely at all times, or banning technology,” said Mr. Thompson, 38, a father of three children between 6 months to 8 years old. “Tech is going to be something kids adopt. The question is how this will happen.”
Read the entire article, then tell us:
— In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media?
— What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age?
—Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves?
—Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment?
— Over all, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?
— Should parents be worried about their children’s privacy and the way Facebook may collect and use data from the app? Do you think Facebook is acting in the best interests of children? Or itself?
Write your answers in the comment section below.
Do you use social media? Yes I do.
If so, what apps do you use? I use many apps including google, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, twitters, and twitch.
How old were you when you started using them? Some of them around 13 years old.
Why did you choose to join? Because that’s the only way to communicate with others in todays society.
Were your parents involved in your decision? Yes they were.
If not, why have you chosen not to use social media? I would not use social media to give an example to my brother so he can focus more in books and Nature rather then being in front of a screen for many hours.
I am an active social media user. I mostly use Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. I started using social media when I was 15-16. I joined Facebook in 2010, mostly because I wanted to stay in contact with people from y high school. My parents were not involved in this decision. Facebook was pretty new back then so they really did not know what that is.
In the article we read about Facebook Kids, an app which you have to ask your parents for permission to use. In my opinion kids nowadays start using social media way too soon. I do not have children myself but I know parents struggle everyday because they would like to limit their children time on the internet but on the other hand they don’t want to feel their kids to feel worse than their classmates. Social media contains a lot of useful information, it may help children with studying, but there is also a tons of false information and inappropriate for children. I think parents should monitor more what their kids are watching and reading on the internet. If the social media environment will be more controlled it will be much safer for children to use.
I think apps like Facebook Messenger Kids is doing more good than harm. Again, I think parents have to make sure kids are not talking with strangers so they are safe in the web world. We have to accept the fact that technology progress everyday. Kids now know more about social media than adults and we cannot change that. We, as parents/ guardians, have to just make sure that we control the environment for them (children) so they are safe and learn from using the internet.
In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media? Around 10 to 15 years old.
— What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age? Some of the problems that Kids May have by using social media at early age would be bullying by others and that can cause them a severe damage on their brains and some of them can commit suicide as had happened throughout the time since all this apps were created. Some of the benefits are that kids are more likely to know and manage websites where they can find some important information in case of a research project they know where to find it, or they can just communicate with other kids and make friends around the world but with the care of their parents.
—Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves? yes it does because once you get into all these apps you start losing the physical contact with others, it stops you from going out because you rather just stay home and watch videos which it affect your eyes and your brains.
—Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment? I would say that social media was created just to keep people away from each other because if you want something for example food you just order something even if you are little child still can do it, it does not connect children with others in fact it ruin their mindset.
— Over all, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good? I am pretty sure it will harm kids even more than they already are with all this new devices. I think that parent should put more attention on their children rather then just leaving them alone.
— Should parents be worried about their children’s privacy and the way Facebook may collect and use data from the app? Do you think Facebook is acting in the best interests of children? Or itself? Yes parents do should be worry about their children because Facebook doesn’t care about the date and all their information in fact Facebook have the interest on itself rather then the kids they just want to make money by making more apps and just telling that “is just a better way for kids to communicate” which is ridiculous to me, why instead they don’t make a park where kids can play around and communicate with others rather then just being at home with a cellphone on their hands just texting. Is that healthy or help in some way ?
Yes I do use social media.
I use telegram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Youtube, Pinterest and some more.
I believe I was 12 years old.
I choose to join because I wanted to communicate with my friends and family members everyday.
Yes my parents were involved in my decision and they bough me phone so that I can use it.
I believe ages under 10 is too young to use social media.
Drawbacks of introducing technology at an early age is that it is a distraction. Social media can have a negative effect on a child’s homework and it can also cause a mental health issue such as delayed sleep, which is associated with depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance. Social media use can affect users’ physical health even more directly.
Benefits of introducing technology at an early age includes creativity and freedom of expression, independence and empowerment and as well as learning enhancement.
I think it does interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves.
I think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do both, good and harm because social media has a good and as well as bad effects on childrens development.
I agree that parents should be worried about their children’s privacy and the way Facebook may collect and use data from the app.
I dont think Facebook is acting in the best interests of children or itself because it increasing its apps which isn’t good for individuals mental health.
Do you use social media?
Yes, I use social media.
If so, what apps do you use?
Some of the apps I usually use are WhatsApp, Tiktok, Facebook, and Instagram.
How old were you when you started using them?
I was 13-year-old when I started to use social media.
Why did you choose to join?
Back then, most of my friends had social media and I didn’t know about it. I decided to create a Facebook page so I would be able to communicate with my friends and
Were your parents involved in your decision?
My mom was involved, not my dad. She was the first person I asked about Facebook and what were the requirements for creating a Facebook account.
Second part
In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media?
I consider that teenagers under 13 are way too young to start using social media. There are lots of things that they can undergo through social media and it’s not the best option.
What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age?
Well, children can learn how to look up school material via technology, how to contact parents/ relatives in case of an emergency, learning websites, and so on. On the other hand, there are bad things all over social media and children may get influenced by that which it’s not a positive thing.
Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves?
In my opinion, I believe when children get too involved in social media; it can affect the time they get to spend with their families. Besides, it can also consume valuable time that they can use to get to know themselves.
Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment?
Social media has its perks and its disadvantages. However, it’s important that an individual is young enough to use social media properly, but not children that don’t comprehend.
Over all, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?
I personally believe it will do more harm than good. Children shouldn’t be exposed to social media at such an early age as 13 and under.
Should parents be worried about their children’s privacy and the way Facebook may collect and use data from the app? Do you think Facebook is acting in the best interests of children? Or itself?
Yes, parents should be worried. I don’t think Facebook did a good action; children shouldn’t be using social media at an early age because of negative things they may encounter.
I do use social media. The apps I use are Facebook and instagram.
I think I was about 10-11 years old when I started using them.
I choose to join because one of my cousins told me there were games I could play in fb so they created me an account. My parents were not involved in my decision, not that I remember.
In my opinion, too young to use social media are 15 years old and under.
Some of the drawbacks of introducing technology at an early age are that children won’t have real-world growing experiences like having interaction with other people/children, how to act or respond in a situation where more people are involved. Also, they would grow living in a fake reality since people can easily show and/or hide what they want to. On the other hand, some of the benefits are that children will have the technological skills at hand whenever they need which will help them adapt easily to the new technological advances.
Yes, I think it does interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves. It’s so easy get caught in social media because it’s an infinity of entertainment. Therefore, children can spend a lot of time on social media instead of interact with people around them as well as taking the time to find what they like or what is that they are good at. But at the same time, at some extend it can also help them connect with others as long as it is in a controlled environment and they use it only for that purpose.
Overall. I think apps like Facebook’s messenger kids will do either harm or good depending on parents’ supervision. If parents don’t have the time or don’t want to be all the time supervising how their kids use these apps, they shouldn’t let their kids use them because it will only do harm.
Parents should be worried about their children’s privacy and the way Facebook collects data from the app because at the end of the day all internet interactions stay within the app. But as I mentioned before, that is why parents have to supervise closely what their children do and share in these apps. I think Facebook is acting in the best interest in itself because of the data they can collect about children since that means more people to sell products/services to.
Do you use social media?
Yes, I do use social media
If so, what apps do you use?
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Tik tok, Youtube
How old were you when you started using them?
12 yrs old
Why did you choose to join?
Everyone was using it so decided to use it
Were your parents involved in your decision?
Yes, their decision was involved
If not, why have you chosen not to use social media?
In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media?
In my opinion I don’t think there should be an age to use social media but on the other hand I think the kid should be at least 12 or 13 because the kid should know what is happening.
What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age?
The drawbacks of social media is that there are tons of scams, false information, and inappropriate sites. Benefits of technology are that kids can use it to get help in their studies, get knowledge.
Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves?
Yes, it does because when you are using social media all the time you don’t interact with others
Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment?
Well kids can learn how to use social media in a safe environment only if the parents keep an eye on them when they are using social media.
Overall, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?
I think both because at an early age kids get addicted to the social media apps and good in a way that by the time they will be adults they would have learned a lot more.
Should parents be worried about their children’s privacy and the way Facebook may collect and use data from the app?
Yes, they should be worried about their children’s privacy but still they should be aware that they should not talk to any stranger and are on a safe web. This is the duty of parents.
Do you think Facebook is acting in the best interests of children? Or itself?
Yes, facebook is acting in the best interest of children
Do you use social media?
Yes , I oftenly do
If so, what apps do you use?
Instagram, snapchat
How old were you when you started using them?
At age of 15
Why did you choose to join?
I joined because I heard they were popular from friends and other people and I was too young to know that it was just a waste of your time.
Were your parents involved in your decision?
Not really because I was somehow hiddining from them, especially my father who never wanted me to use it at a young age.
If not, why have you chosen not to use social media?
Read the entire article, then tell us:
— In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media?
Between age of 13 to 17
— What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age?
To socialize the kids so they can be open minded and give them experiences to advance faster on technologies. Changes of lifestyle, privacy and safety, disconnected generation, information and education, Entertainment, prepared them for the rest of their lives, wasted of times, procrastination and distraction
—Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves?
Yes I think so because you can get closer to your family without the use of social media unless you live farther from each other.
—Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment?
Yes it depends how the parents or teachers are taking care of it because sometimes friends could be your biggest distraction.
— Overall, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?
I feel like it depends how they will be taught by their parents or the adults nearby because kids don’t know either what’s good and bad for them or even what benefits them. In short, to avoid distractions in their life they shall stay away from it.
— Should parents be worried about their children’s privacy and the way Facebook may collect and use data from the app? Do you think Facebook is acting in the best interests of children? Or itself?
Yes parents shall be worried about their children’s privacy and the way Facebook may collect and use data from the app because as a kid they shouldn’t be no privacy between you and your parents meanwhile they shall teach you the best they could for your education to be very respectful, smart, open minded, successful in your future but not setting you free for certain things that can put you in trouble in the coming days which may cause you problems. And I think Facebook is doing what they could to act in the best interests of children by not following certain people or watching some stuff at a young age. But still the parents shall do their job also for their children to behave in the best way.
– Yes, I use social media.
-I mostly use Instagram.
-I was 19 years old when I started to do so.
-I joined because a friend made fun of me for not having any social media.
-No, my parents were not involved.
-In my opinion, 3 to 9 is too young to use social media.
– Some of the drawbacks and benefits:
Benefits
-Technology increase efficiency of any activity, making it faster.
-Technology saves times.
Drawbacks
The impact of technology on young children are:
-Failing grades.
-Social interactions issues.
– Yes, it does interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves.
-No, it does not.
-It will do more harm than good.
Yes, I Do use social media.
I am using Facebook.
when I started using it I am 16 years old.
because easy to communicate with all your friends together.
Yes, my parents were involved in my decision.
I will not use social media because I use social media I have wasted a lot of my time which is why I do not use social media anymore.
In opinion, In my opinion, I used Social media when I was 16 and finished high school. When I was a freshman at the college I had a hard time communicating with my friends, I had to communicate with everyone separately so I told my dad he opened me up to Facebook.
I have many advantages and disadvantages when I first turn to technology. The advantage was that I could easily communicate with all my friends I could easily take help doing my college home walk.
Disadvantage: I used to spend a lot of time on social media all day without any reason. Technology increase efficiency of any activity, making it faster. Messenger Kids is a remarkably secure app for kids wishing to chat and video call with friends and family members. Yes, they should be worried about their children’s privacy but still they should be aware that they should not talk to any stranger and are on a safe web. This is the duty of parents. Yes, facebook is acting in the best interest of children.