Volume 14

Spring
2018 djim.management.dal.ca |

The Effects of Social Media on Children

Tobbi Dyer

School of Information Management, Dalhousie University

Abstract

Social media and smartphones have become a part of our daily lives and children access the
internet at increasingly younger ages. In Canada, approximately half of Grade 4 students go
online regularly using portable devices and almost one-quarter own smart phones; by Grade
11, 85% of students own smartphones.

The dangers for preteens (9–12) and young teenagers (13–15) include risks towards: personal
safety, identity theft, privacy concerns, access to disturbing and inappropriate material, social
isolation, and an increase in mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and poor
sleep. There is also a significant risk of children becoming targets of cyberbullying or sexting.
Some of these risks are a result of limited adult supervision and parents who are not
adequately versed in online safety procedures.

However, social media can also provide children with positive interactions and stronger
friendships both from their daily social circles and from like-minded individuals from various
groups (LBGT, cultural, artistic, etc.). It can also improve access to diversity, increase inclusion,
and reduce social isolation.

In order to benefit from the positive aspects of technology, children, along with their parents,
need to be aware of the possible risks of social media and how to navigate them. Teaching
technology has become a necessary part of a child’s education.

1
Introduction As stated above, children and youth are
heavy consumers of social media (Agnew,
Recent discourses on youth and young
2014). While data regarding usage varies,
teenagers, particularly preteens (9 – 12) and
Dr. Michael Rich claims that children aged
young teenagers (13 – 15), are inundated
8 to 18 use social media on their mobile
with articles, memes, and anecdotes about
devices for an average of almost eight
the negative impacts of social media on
hours a day (Agnew, 2014); American
youth. Regardless of one’s opinion of social
Academy of Pediatrics (2011) found in their
media, smartphones are becoming more
poll that 22% of American teenagers admit
ubiquitous and are introduced at younger
to logging onto their favourite media sites
ages (Influence Central.com, 2016).
more than ten times a day. It can be
Smartphone use has risen dramatically in
inferred that regardless of which study is
the past ten years and continues to rise
consulted, children and youth spend a
(Statista.com, 2016); Canadian ownership of
significant amount of time using social
smartphones increased by 38% in only two
media. Most social media platforms, such
years (Catalyst.ca, 2016) and the average
as Facebook, require users to be at least 13
age for American children to get their own
years old to create accounts. While heavy
smartphones is 10.3 years old (Influence
usage might seem to be an issue that
Central.com, 2016). In Canada,
affects teenagers but not children,
approximately half of Grade 4 students go
approximately 75% of children between ten
online regularly using portable devices and
and twelve years old create social media
almost one-quarter own smart phones; this
accounts by falsifying their birthdates
number increases to 85% for Grade 11
during registration (McDool, Powell,
students (Media Smarts, 2015). Teens
Roberts & Taylor, 2016). Although preteen
access and use a variety of social media
children are not officially recognized as
platforms and websites (Facebook, Snap
users on these platforms, they are simply
Chat, Instagram, etc.) with 92% using them
incognito and appearing as older users,
daily (Lenhart, 2015). Perhaps the question
which makes the full picture of preteen
to ask is not “Should children have access
usage difficult to ascertain.
to social media?,” which would be the
equivalent of trying to put the proverbial Social Media Usage
genie back in the bottle, but rather, “What
Such a shift in society, namely our frequent
are the effects of social media and
use of social media, must have an impact
smartphones on children and what should
on our youth. In her article “Have
we do about them?” This paper focuses
Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?,”
primarily on preteens and young teenagers
Jean Twenge (2017) explains that, as a
in Canada and the United States with some
researcher concerned with generational
data incorporated from older teenagers.
differences, she noticed a drastic change in
the behaviour and emotional states of

2 The Effects of Social Media on Children

teens starting in 2012, at which point over fenced backyard, parents may be hesitant
50% of the American population owned to let their children roam freely as they
smartphones (Catalyst.ca, 2016). Dr. once did (Khoo, 2017; The Canadian Press,
Michael Rich, an associate professor of 2016). Participaction, in its 2015 Report
pediatrics at Harvard Medical School states: Card, makes the strong statement that “we
need to consider the possibility that rules
We come at technology with a lot
and regulations designed to prevent
of preconceptions based on what
injuries and reduce perceived liability
we think is right and wrong, but
consequences have become excessive, to
ultimately this is not about values.
the extent that they actually limit rather
We need to think about technology
than promote children’s physical activity
the way we think about our
and health” (Participaction, 2015, p. 7). With
children’s education. Let’s use
a lack of sufficient outdoor spaces along
evidence to see how we are
with tighter parental controls, children and
changed in positive or negative
young teens have embraced social media
ways by these media and then make
for many of their peer-to-peer interactions.
conscious use of them (Agnew,
2014, para. 3, my italics). Risks

Preteens often join social media sites for While there are social benefits for children
similar reasons to adults: to maintain and accessing social media, and evidence that
strengthen friendships and to connect it might help mitigate the effects of
online with people who share common loneliness, there are significant inherent
interests. They also join in response to peer dangers. Some of these risks occur because
pressure and in anticipation of dating of access to unsupervised and unregulated
opportunities, wanting a private venue to content coupled with children’s lack of
communicate with friends and seeking an awareness of privacy issues and their
avenue to explore aspects of their identities vulnerability to outside influences
such as sexuality and ethnicity (Alim, 2016). (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011;
McDool et al., 2016). While children used
Clennett-Sirois (2014) asserts that teens are
to access the internet from a family
not attracted to the technology itself, but
computer in a shared space, 38% of
to the opportunity to interact with peers
children now access the internet directly
when there are fewer and fewer
from their phones and 64% have access
opportunities available to socialize in
from their own laptops or tablets (Influence
person. In a country that has recently seen
Central.com, 2016). It seems ironic in the
a father investigated for letting his children
current culture of helicopter parenting,
take the city bus to school and given a
which Bayless (2017) describes as “being
mother a permanent child protection file
involved in a child's life in a way that is over
because she let her children play in her
The Effects of Social Media on Children 3
controlling, overprotecting, and over friendly site. It stands to reason, then, than
perfecting” (para.1) to the point that non-child-friendly sites would present even
children do not have as many physical greater potential risks.
freedoms as they used to, that children and
Some of these risks are due to the way that
teens are often left to navigate the internet
children and teenagers understand privacy
on their own. Although parents may believe
and freely relinquish it. Laurence Clennett-
they are keeping their children safe, in
Sirois (2014), in his review “It’s
of
reality, a single stranger lurking in a
Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked
playground is easier to spot than a
Teens,” discusses how a lack of privacy has
multitude of strangers lurking in
been normalized for teens, especially with
cyberspace who have potential online
social networking sites having content
access to a child’s own home through their
publicly available as the default setting. He
media devices.
refers to this as “public-by-default, private-
Recently, many parents naively put their through-effort” (2014, para. 7) because
trust in internet safety and allowed their children, or their parents, have to make the
children unsupervised access to YouTube effort to change the settings to “friends
children’s videos; this resulted in children only,” which, even then, only provides
mistakenly accessing videos, tagged as partial protection of privacy. Parents
child-friendly, which depicted explicit contribute to the problem when they do
violence, sexual situations, or other not respect their children’s privacy or even
inappropriate scenarios (Vaas, 2016). This groom them to accept a lack of privacy as
content, which garnered income through the norm. Laura Pinto, points out that the
ads, was deliberately created with the modern tradition of the Elf on the Shelf, in
intention of bypassing the algorithms which parents tell their children that the
designed to filter adult content in the stuffed toy is watching them and reporting
designated child-friendly zone (Vaas, 2016). their behaviour back to Santa Claus, is
This content featured familiar-looking teaching children to accept in-home
characters that resembled those surveillance as normal (Holley, 2014). Even
copyrighted by famous children’s content before this occurs, parents share a
producers such as Disney and Nickelodeon. significant amount of information about
A pseudo-Elsa from Disney’s movie Frozen, their children online such as their child’s
for example, was seen being urinated on by name and date of birth along with other
a pseudo-Spiderman; at a quick glance, the identifying information in social media
content appeared authentic and escaped posts (Steinberg, 2016). Without adjusting
scrutiny (Vaas, 2016). While YouTube Kids their cell phone camera settings, parents
has recognized the problem and is creating may also be inadvertently providing their
new policies and restrictions, internet safety child’s location to anyone who can view the
cannot be guaranteed, even on a child- posted photos. While parents currently
4 The Effects of Social Media on Children
have the dubious legal right to share this explain why spending time on social media
information, the nature of the internet may make children feel “less satisfied with
means that this information never goes all aspects of their lives, except for their
away. It is easy to see why children tend friendships” (American Academy of
not to value their online privacy, and this is Pediatrics, 2011, p. 801). Dr. Valerie Steeves,
concerning. from the University of Ottawa explains that,
“rather than opening up their world to new
Stanley (2017) has brought to light the
possibilities, online technologies are so
disturbing fact that “child ID fraud or theft
enmeshed with mainstream media content
will affect 25% of kids before turning 18"
that it is actually harder for girls to be
(para. 3). Social media sites and online
authentic” (Agnew, 2014, para.10).
games and apps routinely ask children for
Worrying about how others judge their
personal information, including their dates
appearance, and whether someone will
of birth. With enough information about a
unfriend them, negatively affects children’s
child, identity thieves can create credit
wellbeing by increasing children’s anxiety.
accounts under the child’s name.. This theft
can be problematic for children later in Children’s wellbeing is also affected by how
their lives; by the time they, or their much they compare their lives to the
parents, discover that they have a negative documented lives of others; with everyone
credit history, it might be too late to repair trying to look good online, it is hard for
the damage. Most parents do not check youth to see that they may be comparing
their children’s credit reports, but this may themselves to someone else’s carefully
be a necessary precaution. constructed online persona (McDool et al.,
2016). Children who spend too much time
Without having many concerns for privacy,
online reduce their involvement in other
and with a desire to be liked and admired
recreational activities which can have a
by their peers, young adolescents
negative effect on mood as well as on their
frequently post about themselves in a way
quality of sleep (McDool et al., 2016).
that they think enhances people’s
Further, preteens and teens who frequently
perceptions of them (Lenhart, 2015 a). Girls
engage with social networking sites exhibit
in particular perceive the need to be
signs of depression which may be due to
attractive in a certain way and this can
the intensity of their online experiences
cause a great deal of anxiety (Agnew,
(American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011);
2014). In a Canadian study conducted by
teens who are already struggling in life are
MediaSmarts (2017), young teens describe
at an increased risk (Clennett-Sirois, 2014).
how they go online to socialize, but their
This increases the risk of social isolation
intent is to look attractive to their peers.
and may amplify risky behaviours such as
The worry about measuring up to
substance abuse, risky sexual activity, or
perceived societal expectations helps to

The Effects of Social Media on Children 5

other self-destructive behaviours (American harm someone. This behaviour is facilitated
Academy of Pediatrics, 2011). by the large amounts of personal data
posted online and the opportunity for
A recent study from Korea University
interactions between users, which is in part
(Taylor, 2017) found that teenagers who
a result of children and teens not
had been diagnosed with internet or
adequately guarding their online privacy.
smartphone addiction had altered their
Cyberbullying, due to the nature of the
brain chemistry. Scientists found that
internet, can take place at any time and can
GABA, a neurotransmitter which helps to
easily and quickly spread to a large online
regulate vision, motor control, and anxiety,
audience. It can be difficult to trace the
was significantly elevated in internet-
perpetrator or perpetrators and Smith et al.
addicted teens compared to non-addicted
(2008) found that in about a third of cases,
teens of the same age (with a mean age of
the victim does not know them (as cited in
15.5), which led to increased drowsiness
Alim, 2016). Unlike traditional bullying, the
and anxiety (Taylor, 2017). Fortunately,
cyberbully can hide behind a fake account,
participants who later received cognitive
which makes it nearly impossible for the
behaviour therapy saw these levels
victim to identify or face their perpetrators
decrease or return to normal (Taylor, 2017).
directly (Beale & Hall, 2007).
It has also been shown that the blue light
emitted from smartphones and other Cyberbullying can take several forms. In a
devices can reduce levels of melatonin and 2014 study,
interfere with the quality of children’s sleep
40% of students had received a
(Providence Health Team, 2017). Whether it
mean comment through a SNS
is the nature of social media or the physical
[social networking site], 37% were
devices themselves, children are at risk of
victims of online gossip, 45%
decreased mental health and increased
received prank [phone] calls, 30%
psychological distress. This effect is specific
had a private message published
to children and teenagers: university
without permission, whilst 26% had
students who spend more than two hours
an embarrassing photo published
per day using social media do not exhibit
without permission, 24% had been
these negative effects (Ottawa Citizen,
excluded from an online forum and
2015).
19% had their online ID stolen
Cyberbullying (Alim, 2016, p. 70).

Arguably the greatest risk of social media, Compared to children in other age groups,
and the one that has caught the attention children aged 12 to 15 received the most
of the news media, is cyberbullying. abusive emails and 25–28% of this age
Cyberbullying is the use of online group experienced cyberbullying (Alim,
technology to deliberately and repetitively 2016). These figures point to the enormity
6 The Effects of Social Media on Children
of the problem and indicate that it is not a virtually no way to erase the accompanying
problem specific to older teenagers. digital footprint.
Children who are not technically permitted
A tragic example of the effects of sexting
to join social media sites are being bullied
and cyberbullying can been seen in the
at an alarming rate. Not surprisingly, more
Canadian story of Rehtaeh Parsons, who
marginalized teenagers, and those with low
died as a result of a suicide attempt in 2013
self-esteem, are more likely to be bullied
after a sexually explicit photo of her went
and to be bullies themselves (Alim, 2016).
viral. While details about what happened at
Victims may experience difficulties
a party in November, 2011 are unproven,
interacting with their peer groups and may
the allegations are that Parsons was
experience isolation, anxiety, and
sexually assaulted by teenage boys while
depression (Alim, 2016).
incapacitated by alcohol (McMillan, 2015).
The most extreme form of cyberbullying What is known is that a photo was taken of
involves sexting. Sexting is sending nude, her throwing up out of a window while a
semi-nude, or sexually explicit photos, and boy was smiling at the camera and having
while legal between consensual adults it is, sex with her (The Canadian Press, 2013).
however, a risky activity because one has This photo was shared with other students
to trust that the other will not share the at her high school who then re-shared it,
photo, even in the event of relationship which eventually made it go viral. This was
changes. An estimated one-fifth of teens followed by verbal assaults and
participate in sexting (American Academy harassment. As a result of the anguish and
of Pediatrics, 2011) and the risks can be humiliation of being bullied and
greater than for adults. The Criminal Code cyberbullied, Parsons died at only 17 years
of Canada prohibits the representation of old after being taken off life support.
children under 18 in a sexual manner and Depression, self-harm, and suicide ideation
criminalizes the distribution of such are recognized as possible responses to
material (Slane, 2013). While this is, enduring such forms of cyberbullying
understandably, designed to protect (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011).
children from harm, children can also be
Benefits
convicted for sharing sexual images of
themselves. An additional, and Despite the significant risks inherent to
traumatizing, risk to children is a form of children on social networking, we should
cyberbullying when the recipient of the not overlook the possible benefits, such as:
image, or someone else who has access to opportunities for connecting with peers,
it, shares it with other people without enhancing learning opportunities, and
consent. Shared images can go viral, and personal development (Agnew, 2014).
can be accompanied by derogatory Preteens and teens need social connections
comments. Once this occurs, there is and experiences: Rich (2014) states that
The Effects of Social Media on Children 7
“one of the great things the internet has find others who share their artistic, literary,
done is create an environment where youth or other interests, which can reduce
who feel isolated can create community” feelings of isolation. Improving their social
(Agnew, T. (2014, para. 4). Although it can bonds can guard against factors that put
appear disconcerting to adults to see mental health at risk (Antheunis, Schouten
children and teens interacting with their & Krahmer, 2016).
smartphones in a way that makes them
Children can also increase their bonds with
appear anti-social, they are often, in fact,
family members and protect their physical
socializing with their friends. With fewer
safety by using their smartphones wisely.
opportunities to interact in person, social
Jenson (2017) discusses how to implement
networking can fill in this gap and help
a system of using code words with children
children maintain interpersonal
and teens: if a child feels that they are in
connections (Clennett-Sirois, 2014).
an unsafe situation, or they simply do not
Children generally use social media to stay
want to admit to their friends that they do
in touch with their existing real-world
not want to participate in an activity, they
friends, and this extended form of
can send a predetermined code word to a
communication helps to strengthen their
family member. Even if this protocol has
bonds (Antheunis, Schouten, & Krahmer,
not been established, children can privately
2016). This text-based communication can
text their parents, and then delete the text
also enhance communication and technical
if they chose, to ask for a ride home. This
skills, which are beneficial to children’s later
can be done without their peers being
success (American Academy of Pediatrics,
aware of the situation, as would likely
2011).
happen if they had to make an actual
There are also benefits for children phone call.
reaching outside their inner circles to make
Mitigating Risks
new friends, possibly from more diverse
backgrounds. By identifying with like- In order to safely benefit from the positive
minded individuals, children can participate effects of social media, while mitigating the
in group discussions and collaborations for potential risks, children have to be taught
projects and thus enhance their feelings of how to properly use this tool (Agnew,
self-worth (American Academy of 2014). As a society, we understand the
Pediatrics, 2011). For example, Norton need to teach children to drive and
(2016) discusses the benefits to LGBT youth generally require graduated licensing to
in accessing support groups and other allow them sufficient time to appropriately
information on social media. This is learn the skills required to drive safely.
particularly important for youth who live in However, we often provide children with
more homogenous communities, including access to the greatest amount of
many rural communities. Children may also information the world has ever seen
8 The Effects of Social Media on Children
without much supervision or training. by initiating it or by participating in existing
Steeves (2014) found that parents do, in smear campaigns, if they believe that adults
fact, have an influence on their children’s will enforce negative consequences (Alim,
use of social media, and most children will 2016). Cyberbullies were also found to be
approach them for support (as cited in heavy internet users and to participate in
Agnew, 2014). However, if children do not other risky behaviours (Alim, 2016).
feel their parents have the technical Limiting access to social media technology
knowledge, they may not seek their could potentially improve children’s mental
parents’ or another adult’s assistance health and decreases both the risk of being
(American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011). cyberbullied as well as reducing
Further to this, children also may not think participation in bullying behaviours
that their parents would know how to (McDool et al., 2016).
recognize a cyberbully or know what to do
Teachers, obviously, play a significant role
about it, reducing the likelihood that they
in the lives of children and young teens.
will obtain help from them (Alim, 2016). To
Awareness about how to safely navigate
effectively assist children to use social
cyberspace needs to be a regular part of
media, and to gain their trust, parents and
the curriculum as well part of the school’s
teachers need to make themselves aware
anti-bullying policy; successful prevention
of the technology, its uses, and its pitfalls.
should include providing guidance to
Privacy issues should be addressed at
parents as well (Alim, 2016). Teachers
home, which requires parents to be aware
should be aware, however, that group
of security features. Children are more
assemblies to address such issues are
inclined to consider internet safety if their
considered to be the least successful in
parents are aware of possible risks and
meeting intended outcomes (Alim, 2016).
discuss safe usage with them (Alim, 2016).
Successful strategies have included
Educating themselves, then, may be one of
learning how to identify the signs of
the most effective ways for parents to help
cyberbullying, and bullying in general, and
their children safely navigate the internet.
providing guidance to children on how to
There are even online quizzes for available
block bullies online and when to seek help.
for parents to learn about social
It is also important that parents and
networking sites and apps commonly used
teachers recognize the risks and indicators
by children (Shum, 2017).
of mental health concerns in children and
As well as potentially protecting their to investigate possible links to bullying
children from being vulnerable to online (Ottawa Citizen, 2015).
bullying, parents can also play a role in
On a broader scale, online safeguards need
preventing their children from being bullies
to be in place to protect children.
themselves. Preteens and teenagers are
Facebook, for example, has recently
less likely to engage in cyberbullying, either
The Effects of Social Media on Children 9
announced that it will roll out a new app expression is balanced by the level of harm
for children under 13 years old, called someone might experience from having
Messenger Kids (Isaac & Singer, 2017) their data remaining online, and individuals
which allows parents to control their can successfully request to have their data
children’s contact list and prevents children removed (Official Journal of the European
from being able to hide messages from Union, 2016). This type of legal protection,
their parents. While it is beneficial to which is currently being introduced in the
Facebook to openly increase its client base, United Kingdom, could provide a great
since children are likely using the platform relief to people who have been
anyway, providing a safer alternative cyberbullied or subjected to unauthorized
available to them is a good start. sharing of their photos or other data. This
would be particularly useful to children,
Improvements to apps and online
either as victims of cyberbullying or for
applications can also be made. In a trial
those who are living with the consequences
experiment, teenagers were shown digital
of their own youthful media mistakes.
messages that would be perceived as
harmful to the recipient and asked if they In 2013, in response to the Rehtaeh
would post them. The number of teenagers Parsons situation addressed above, Nova
who indicated that they would be willing to Scotia introduced an anti-bullying law to
post the text decreased significantly when protect victims and hold perpetrators
an app popped up before-hand that asked accountable: the Cyber-Safety Act (Laroche,
if they were sure that they wanted to post 2017). It was struck down in 2015, however,
something that would be hurtful to others. because it was too broad and infringed on
The conclusion in the trial was that children freedom of expression enshrined in
and teenagers don’t have the level of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
impulse control required to prevent New legislation, Bill 27, was introduced in
themselves from acting quickly without 2017 and is expected to be passed into law
thinking, but when they were reminded of in the spring of 2018 or later, which, as
the possible negative outcomes, they chose Justice Minister Mark Furey describes, is
to act appropriately (Alim, 2016). This is an about “preventing and responding to the
encouraging finding and one can hope that harms of sharing intimate images without
this will be an option adopted by consent, and cyberbullying… while at the
commonly used social networking sites. same time, upholding and protecting our
fundamental freedom of expression.”
The European Parliament introduced a Data
Furthermore, Nova Scotia now has a
Protection Bill in 2016, known as "The Right
definition for cyberbullying: an “electronic
to be Forgotten," which recognizes that
communication maliciously intended to
people have a right to the protection of
cause harm …or [with] reckless regard to
their personal data. The right to freedom of
the risk of harm” (Laroche, 2017, para. 4).
10 The Effects of Social Media on Children
Simply having this recognized definition principals in the Halifax Regional School
will make it more likely that appropriate Board have been provided with training to
charges can be laid because if something help them understand the new policies and
is not identified as an offence it is difficult how to address issues that occur either on
to lay charges. or off school grounds; in addition, an anti-
bullying coordinator and more mental
In addition to these changes in the law
health clinicians have been hired. It is
from the Rehtaeh Parsons case and in
hoped that these positive responses will
response to complaints made by Parsons’
help to prevent future tragedies due to
parents and other community members, an
cyberbullying.
independent review of the handling of her
case by the police and prosecution was Conclusion
completed in 2015 (Segal, 2015). A
Social media and the internet are here to
Progress Report investigating the status of
stay so, as a society, we need to find ways
the recommendations, which includes
to protect children from its harmful
significant progress on their
potential. The risks to their privacy, mental
implementation, was completed in 2017.
health and wellbeing, and vulnerability to
Successful initiatives or improvements
cyberbullying and exploitation, needs to be
include revising the sexual abuse and child
mitigated through education to children as
abuse policies followed by the Halifax
well as to their parents, caregivers, and
Regional Police Department (HRP). With
educators. Children need to be taught
input from people working in the field of
effective procedures to protect their
sexual assault, the HRP has implemented a
privacy and this should be appropriately
Trauma-Informed Approach when dealing
modeled through good examples provided
with sexual assault survivors along with
by the adults in their lives. Protective apps
special statements that apply to children
and software, along with appropriate
under 16 years old (Parsons was 15 years
restrictions, need to be applied to social
old at the time of the alleged assault).
networking sites that children access most
Halifax now has a Sex Crimes unit which
often and laws need to be in place to
combines the internet Child Exploitation
protect victims from further harm or
Unit with the Sexual Assault Investigation
victimization by the legal system through
Team.
ineffective or harmful approaches.
Some other improvements identified in the
The benefits of social media should also be
Progress Report include prioritizing
recognized. Children can deepen their
investigations that involve children,
existing friendships and create new ones,
creating a cybercrime support unit, and
expand their access to diversity, increase
evaluating the Education Act in its response
their communication and technical skills,
to cyberbullying. Teaching staff and
explore their own interests, and protect
The Effects of Social Media on Children 11
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These benefits are significant and https://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publicati
worthwhile; the focus should be on ons/ATA%20News/Volume-48-
maintaining and enhancing them while 2013-14/Number-
putting the identified safeguards in place 18/Pages/Connected-or-
for the benefit of everyone. disconnected.aspx

Recommendations
Alim, S. (2016). Cyberbullying in the world
• Supervise children online of teenagers and social media: A
• Set limits to usage of online devices literature review. International
and social media Journal of Cyber Behavior, 6(2), 68-
95. Retrieved from
• Encourage children to play outside
https://www.researchgate.net/public
to improve mental health outcomes
ation/304536995_Cyberbullying_in_t
• Learn about technology and he_World_of_Teenagers_and_Social_
cyberbullying and be approachable Media_A_Literature_Review
for children to ask questions
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2011).
• Role model usage of appropriate
Clinical report – The impact of
privacy measures
social media on children,
• Teach children to protect their adolescents, and families. Retrieved
online privacy from

• Teach children to identify http://web.mit.edu/writing/2012/Jul

cyberbullying y_Summary_Readings/Impact_of_So
cial_Media_on_Children_and_their_F
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