Have you ever noticed this generation of kids are more attached to their phones than older generations? As a teen myself I can see that social media forces kids to grow up too fast. It’s easy to stay on social media like Tiktok because it fits your interest and makes it more fun for you. Being late Gen Z, it is clear to me that because we have grown up with social media we are drawn to it all of the time.
As for what social media teens are on, there are two that dominate teens’ time. According to a Pew Research Center fact sheet on Teens and Social Media by Eugenie Park, Olivia Sidoti, Michelle Faverio, Sara Atske, and Kaitlyn Radde, teens in the 13-17 range who use Youtube several times a day stands at 39% while 34% use Tiktok several times a day. The way the percentage average is, it’s good that it isn’t too high and it’s right in the middle.
Another important aspect in one’s use of social media is having older siblings. This can impact the use of social media on kids younger too because they would want to be just like them. Rosalind Stefanac, a mom from Canada, shared her experience with her kids and their use of social media and technology on the source ParentsCanada In her post “Do Older Siblings Have Too Much Influence on Younger Ones” she writes that a doctor in California, Dr. Pamela Varedy, reports that “younger siblings have the innate desire to mimic their older sibling, especially early in life.” She adds that “They want to look like them, act like them and mostly want their approval.” Seeing social media from family exposes teens to it at whatever age they are at the time, which can be quite young. When teens see it from their siblings it forces them to want to have what they have, and that draws them away from what they should be doing as kids.
Additionally, kids look up to their older peers, even if they do not even know them. This is the case with influencers, who kids feel like they know when they follow them online. When kids – especially those who are too young to manage it – see things on social media from influencers, they envy them and want to be like them. This encourages kids to try to grow up faster than usual and want to be more mature than they are.
However, companies know that kids are being exposed to social media early and they are taking advantage of it. One of these companies is Sephora, who has used Tiktok with something they call Sephora kids. They are little girls around the age of 5-10 who have been influenced by social media influencers to buy a whole bunch of skin care and makeup products that aren’t good for kid skin. Seeing their favorite influencers buy these products, influences them to be like them and try to be older.
Kids under ten should not be exposed to electronics other than a TV so they are not wasting their valuable young kid years. They should have fun that is stress free, and that allows them to be the little kids that they are. Wanting to grow up fast doesn’t help kids prepare themselves for the future when they actually do get older. If kids grow up too fast, they will wish they were young again and have the chance to just have fun and be kids.
In addition there is a lot of data that supports the idea of not exposing kids to technology until they are older.
According to Basis, a software company that develops software and services, overexposure to tech at an early age is already in place for Gen Alpha. They report that 43% of Gen Alphas have been exposed to having a tablet before the age of 6 and 58% have a phone by the age of 10. Gen Alpha is just behind us and is definitely accessing electronics far too young. By getting access so young, they will become attached to it and see things that they just are not ready for yet.
For the future, I wish for kids to be able to enjoy their childhood and have fun instead of trying to grow up and seem mature by being on or connected to social media. If they want to watch shows, then they should do so on TV. If they have to use a tablet or phone, then parents should monitor what they watch and make sure to keep them off of social media. The goal for parents should be to keep their kids from being exposed to content that is for older children. Kids today have fewer young, carefree years than adult years so they should enjoy the time they have now being a kid and that means spending less time on social media.
