Professor Joshua Belknap | Co Req ML | Spring 2023

Writing Activity 3/28/23

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?

Post your response to these questions here as a response. If you have any questions let me know.

13 Comments

  1. Parmela

    i started including social media in my life since I was nine years. I am currently taking a break from certain social media outlet. I was nine year old when I first started.I used to used Instagram and Snapchat but now I only used Tiktok. I started using social media for entertainment and to be like others.

    I definitely think social shouldn’t be introduced at a young age I believe anyone under 10 shouldn’t be allowed to open any shock all media account.

    u

    • Parmela

      Having access to technology at a early age can have damaging effect simply because social media has no filter and young children are supposed to grow up forming their own thoughts and ideas not to be influenced by others. On the other hand social media can be a resource for children to help them learn and build more skills.

      I definitely think social media can affect family time and the child’s way of processing social interactions. Children tend to mimic and get distracted easily so it’s not hard for them to completely ignore spending time with parents.

      I think the world is a huge and scary place especially with the social platforms we have now. Facebook can expose Children to a lot of harmful stuff. Since it is a “connecting app” it can connect them to creepy people in the world who may not have the best intentions. I think parents should have a limit but understand a child’s privacy when it comes to certain discussions

  2. Denisa

    1. Yes I use social media
    2. Facebook, instagram, snapchat
    3. Around 12 years old.
    4. Facebook and messenger was trending during that age and I decided to join on that way I talked to my friends for homework to talk with my other relatives that lives far away.
    5. Yes, my parents had access on my profile.
    6. I think too young is under 9 years old.
    7. Children who overuse technology may be more likely to experience mental health issues, including lack of attention, low creativity, delays in language development, delays in social and emotional development, and addiction to these technologies.

    8-9. I think it can be both.

    10 . Overall it can do good but it can be still the risk of being bullying victim if the parents doesn’t have any kind of access on it.

    11 . Parents should always be worried about their children’s safety on social media. However I think that facebook is acting in the best interest of children to get connected and reattached with other children especially in this post-COVID era.

  3. Duc Giang

    1/ Do you use social media?

    Yes, I used social media.

    2/ If so, what apps do you use?

    I used TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

    3/ How old were you when you started using them?

    I used social media when I was 13 years old.

    4/ Why did you choose to join?

    I chose to join because my friend used social media and we can discussion some topics in social media.

    5/ Were your parents involved in your decision?

    No, my parents weren’t involved in my decision.

    6/ If not, why have you chosen not to use social media?

    No idea

    Respond article

    1/ In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media?

    In my opinion, I think kids in middle school can use social media.

    2/ What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age?

    They can interact more with people and know society.  

    3/ Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves?

    I think it does interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves.

    4/ Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment?

    It will help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment, if they know used it safety and correct way.

    5/Overall, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?

    Overall, I think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm because it is similar like Facebook. And it is different when the app add the letter “Kids”

    6/ 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?

    I think parents should be worried about their kids using Facebook, and they have to check every day what they do in the app. I think sometimes Facebook is acting in the best interests of children if it is age appropriate.

  4. Freddy Cen Liang

    Do you use social media?

    Yes, I use social media

    If so, what apps do you use?

    I spend most of my time using software, WeChat, Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube more

    How old were you when you started using them?

    As far as I can remember it was probably around the age of 10 when I started using the Internet.

    Why did you choose to join?

    It may be that when I want to play a game it shows that I need an account to log in, and I create my own account, like google.

    Were your parents involved in your decision?

    My parents were not involved in the decision it was my decision.

    If not, why have you chosen not to use social media?

    If I don’t use it, probably because it is addictive and wastes a lot of time on it.

  5. Carla Garcia

    Do you use social media?

    Yes I do use social media. 

    If so, what apps do you use?

    I use instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and sometime I will watch Tik Tok. 

    How old were you when you started using them?

    I was about 10 years old. 

    Why did you choose to join?

    Were your parents involved in your decision?

    My parents were involved in my decision.  I chose it because it was used mostly for school and teachers will almost every time send homework’s there and make us read books online at home. 

    If not, why have you chosen not to use social media?

     â€”your opinion, how young is too young to use social media?

    I don’t have a specific age but I think it depends on several factors such as the child’s maturity level, the type of social media platform, and parental supervision. 

    — What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age?

    Benefits of applying technology at an early age include increased opportunity to educational resources.Drawbacks however, include the potential for overuse, addiction, and social isolation. . 

    —Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves?

    Yes, excessive use of technology can interfere with family life and a child’s ability to develop social skills and self-awareness. 

    —Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment?

    When used appropriately and under parental supervision, technology can help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely. 

    — Over all, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?

    However, apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids have potential benefits and drawbacks that depend on how they are used and monitored by parents. When used responsibly, these apps can provide a safe and controlled environment for children to communicate with friends and family members. However, excessive use or lack of supervision can lead to negative effects such as addiction, social isolation, and cyberbullying. 

    — 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?

    Parents should always be concerned about their child’s privacy and the data collected by all social media platforms, including Facebook. As with any technology use, parents must educate their children on online safety and privacy to ensure they are protected while using the app. Ultimately, Facebook is a worth company, and it’s up to parents to decide if they believe the app is acting in the best interests of children or itself

    —Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves?

    Yes, excessive use of technology can interfere with family life and a child’s ability to develop social skills and self-awareness. 

    —Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment?

    When used appropriately and under parental supervision, technology can help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely. 

    — Over all, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?

    However, apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids have potential benefits and drawbacks that depend on how they are used and monitored by parents. When used responsibly, these apps can provide a safe and controlled environment for children to communicate with friends and family members. However, excessive use or lack of supervision can lead to negative effects such as addiction, social isolation, and cyberbullying. 

    — 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?

    Parents should always be concerned about their child’s privacy and the data collected by all social media platforms, including Facebook. As with any technology use, parents must educate their children on online safety and privacy to ensure they are protected while using the app. Ultimately, Facebook is a worth company, and it’s up to parents to decide if they believe the app is acting in the best interests of children or itself.

  6. Bryan loko

    1-Do you use social media?

    Yes, I use Instagram, Whatsapp, Snapchat, TikTok, Facbook and pinterest.

    2-How old were you when you started using them?

    probably l like 11 or 12 years old.

    3-Why did you choose to join?

    I think I did because i wanted to see how the app was working and also because i wanted to communicated with my friends and family.

    4- Were your parents involved in your decision?

    Not really, they just let me joined when i was old enoght.

    5-In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media?

    I think young is too young because they’re just kids that are growing up and also their curiosity and questions, which i think it means that one day they are going to look for something that they are not really ready for.

    6-What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age?

    I think some drawbacks may be they’re not ready fo it. They may be are going to wacht something thatv is not really appropiate. I think one of the benefits is that they can learn and develop skills even with their 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?

    I think it help, because my sister use it with his child and he is able to communicated with my family and me but under the control of my sister.

    9- Over all, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?

    It depends on how parents manages this for their kids, but also the type of things the kids watch on the apps.

    9-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, I think parents should defenitily be worry about kid’s privacity becuase you never know what type of people would like to put their hands on kids privacy. And I don’t think that Facebook is acting the best insterests of children , because they don’t really warn people because they want but because they have to according to the law.

  7. Sandra

    Do you use social media? Yes I do use social media.

    If so, what apps do you use? I use tiktok ,instagram, and YouTube .

    How old were you when you started using them? I was 12 when I started using social media.

    Why did you choose to join? Everyone was on it so I downloaded it and was just one of those kids posting.

    Were your parents involved in your decision? Social media is a big thing so my parents never had a problem with it.

    If not, why have you chosen not to use social media? I have used social media until this day.I still do just that it changed so much.

    Read the entire article, then tell us:

    — What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age? An affect is it does bad to you mentally and physically.But now in days everyone has a phone.Once they have there phone they just think “there all that” by posting anything even physically hurting kids and just recording it like nothing is just disgusting because they don’t think and they just think everything is funny and just think they are the “cool kids”.

    Read the entire article, then tell us:

    —Does it interfere with family life and children’s personal time to process social interactions and get to know themselves? Social media has a big impact on families and themselves.Once they’re on the internet they’re in their  world trying to become a “influencer” or just chatting with people .

    —Or does it help young children connect with others and learn to use social media safely in a controlled environment? It really depends who you’re surrounding yourself with because not everyone is gonna be showing you loyalty or good.

    — Over all, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?I don’t use Facebook just because I feel like it’s for “adults” so I just don’t use it or like it but kids now do use them which they need to be aware of because Facebook has a lot of “adults” that can be harming kids.

    — 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?Parents need to be aware of their kids using social media because it will affect the mentally and physically and damaging for education.Facebook needs to acknowledge children’s health mentally.

    — In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media? Now there is no age limit.Everyone has a phone ,has everything ,and just acts very childish outside and in social media.Children will do anything to get people’s attention.

    — What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age? An affect is it does bad to you mentally and physically.But nowadays everyone has a phone.Once they have their phone they just think “there all that” by posting anything even physically hurting kids and just recording it like nothing is just disgusting because they don’t think and they just think everything is funny and just think they are the “cool kids”.Talking down to older or younger kids is just horrible especially here in NY no one care if they see someone getting beat up people will just walk like there not seeing nothing happen.

  8. Tanvir Zaman

    Do you use social media?

    • Yes, I use social media.

    If so, what apps do you use?

    • I use Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

    How old were you when you started using them?

    • When I was 16 years old.

    Why did you choose to join?

    • Because I found it very interesting at that time and I see my cousins and friends always talking about social media. 

    Were your parents involved in your decision?

    • No.

    If not, why have you chosen not to use social media?

    • Because I used to see that everyone was having a lot of fun using social media.

    Read the entire article, then tell us:

    — In your opinion, how young is too young to use social media?

    • In my opinion I think (9-15) years old are too young to use social media.

    — What are some of the drawbacks and benefits of introducing technology at an early age?

    • I think the benefit is Social media can provide opportunities for children and teenagers to showcase their talents and develop a professional network. And it is important to note that social media use also carries some risks and potential negative effects, especially if it is not used responsibly or if children and teenagers are exposed to harmful content or online predators.

    —Does it interfere with family life and children’s time to process social interactions and get to know themselves?

    • Yes,  it interferes with family life and children’s 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?

    • Yes, Social media can be a useful tool for young children to connect with others and learn how to use technology and social media safely, but it’s important to ensure that they use it in a controlled and safe environment.

    — Overall, do you think apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more harm or good?

    • I think it depends on how they are used. Parents should be careful of the benefits and drawbacks of these apps before deciding whether or not to use them with their children.

    — 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?

    • If the children are under 15 years old then I think Parents should be concerned about their children’s privacy when it comes to Facebook, as the platform collects a lot of data on its users and has been known to use that data for targeted advertising and other purposes. It is up to parents to decide whether they feel comfortable allowing their children to use Facebook or other social media platforms and to take steps to protect their children’s privacy and safety online. This may include monitoring their children’s online activities, setting limits on screen time, and educating them about online safety and privacy.
  9. Heylin D

    -I do use social media, I’ve been using it since I was 12 years old. My parents were okay with me using it. And I mostly use Instagram, snapchat, TikTok, YouTube. I choose those because I thought they were interesting to use.

    -The drawbacks of introducing technology at an early age is that they can become addicted to it. Benefits is that they can connect with their families.

    -I think it does interfere with their family’s life and children’s personal time because at a young age it’s known for you to get addicted to the internet and that can cause a lot of downfalls on their mental health.

    -In a way it does helps children connect with others when they need to but it is a good idea of it being safely controlled by a parent.

    -It could depend on how some children view or use it, but I would say it’s creative for children to connect with others which is good. As long as they behave and not trying to cyberbully another child.

    -Parents can be worried about Facebook collecting data because you may not know what the internet may hold. For their child’s privacy it’s okay for parents not to be persistent with their privacy since they are getting older, they may not like that.

  10. Shihab Rahama

    I start my day by using social media such as Instagram Facebook or Snapchat but I mainly watch Facebook and Youtube shorts. I can’t sit for half an hour without using my phone. I started using social media when I was nine years old or so. But back then It’s wasn’t a big thing like now, It was only Facebook and Messenger.

    However, I was only using Facebook and it was kind of behind my parents because I was young for using it.When my Father new about it he wasn’t that happy about it but he accepted it at the end.

    In fact, social media helped me at some point by reaching out to people and manage my long distance relationships with my family and friends.

    Social media actually has a good and bad affects on people. For example, you can learn thing from social media. However, social media is an easy addition specially for the kids if they or their parents didn’t get involved to manage a time for it and what to watch and what’s not.

    For example, my parents used to give me the phone for only an hour no longer than that whatsoever. but now a days lots of parents are complaining about social media and attacking the companies for stealing their children’s future.

    Indeed, in my opinion, I think parents should be aware of social media and not allow their children to use it for a long amount of time so they can also engage with them and others.

  11. Tatiana K

    WRITING ACTIVITY

     

    In my opinion 13 years old may be a good age to introduce social media to kids as Facebook Twitter, and TikTok allow. I started to use social media when I was 14 but, this was 17 years ago, and it was a different time. Social media wasn’t as developed as today, they didn’t offer so many services and even the opportunity to earn for a big activity. Social media platforms can offer children valuable opportunities to develop digital literacy skills and build a good digital footprint.

    There is a lot what social media can help kids get to know themselves with: stay connected with friends and family,

    volunteer or get involved with a campaign, nonprofit, or charity,

    enhance their creativity by sharing ideas, music, and art,

    meet and interact with others who share similar interests,

    communicate with educators and fellow students, access health information,

    learn about current events.

     

    Apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more good in my opinion, but also it has to be limited, this is parents responsibility to make sure that kids don’t get distracted from homework and other activities in school. And only on their free time they can use the app, as an additional information resource.

     

    Parents should be worried about their children’s privacy for sure. And Facebook is doing the right thing by collecting the data from the app, otherwise parents will start complaining on Facebook which will remove many users, since the most active in social media are children. Facebook is acting in the best interests first for itself. Which once again leads us to the fact that we are the most responsible for our children and we are the ones who should look after them the most.

  12. Tatiana K

    In my opinion 13 years old may be a good age to introduce social media to kids as Facebook Twitter, and TikTok allow. I started to use social media when I was 14 but, this was 17 years ago, and it was a different time. Social media wasn’t as developed as today, they didn’t offer so many services and even the opportunity to earn for a big activity. Social media platforms can offer children valuable opportunities to develop digital literacy skills and build a good digital footprint.

    There is a lot what social media can help kids get to know themselves with: stay connected with friends and family,

    volunteer or get involved with a campaign, nonprofit, or charity,

    enhance their creativity by sharing ideas, music, and art,

    meet and interact with others who share similar interests,

    communicate with educators and fellow students, access health information,

    learn about current events.

     

    Apps like Facebook’s Messenger Kids will do more good in my opinion, but also it has to be limited, this is parents responsibility to make sure that kids don’t get distracted from homework and other activities in school. And only on their free time they can use the app, as an additional information resource.

     

    Parents should be worried about their children’s privacy for sure. And Facebook is doing the right thing by collecting the data from the app, otherwise parents will start complaining on Facebook which will remove many users, since the most active in social media are children. Facebook is acting in the best interests first for itself. Which once again leads us to the fact that we are the most responsible for our children and we are the ones who should look after them the most.

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