Social media has a lot of different effects on students. With every kid and teen having a phone, social media isn’t just impacting a couple hundred kids, it’s millions of people.

 Most parents are aware of this, but what can they do when all their kids friends already have phones? At some point your son or daughter will be asking for a phone for Christmas or for a birthday present. They don’t have much not of a choice but try to fulfill your child’s happiness and get them what they want, like a cell phone. 

There are some good reasons to have a phone and social media, such as having the ability to call and text your friends and family. They also have the ability to call someone if there’s an emergency. There’s also the fact that kids and teens and some adults can post what is happening in their life and give updates to people in the real world and post pictures and videos for friends and family.

According to the Mayo clinic, “…social media use can also negatively affect teens, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure.”

There are a lot more reasons that social media can be bad in the long term, like bullying, social anxiety, depression, and exposure to content that is not age appropriate.

All these factors lead to some sort of trauma if the kids are young. Some may even adapt to this behavior, which will change their ways of respect for others

Social media can also make it easy for older criminals and pedophiles to get in touch with kids and teens. It’s up to you how you use social media, but be aware of the impact it has on students.