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Facebook’s influence on teenagers
By Rosie Nguyen, Deputy Head Girl
Facebook is probably the main social networking site used by children and adults alike. The dawn of the technological era has changed the face of the world and in today’s day and age there exists an online platform for everything from political disputes to groups condemning the presence of raisins in trail mix.
But what does this mean for us? Well, let’s take a closer look.
Social networking and children
The average age of children who join Facebook? 12. Given that Facebook is only supposed to allow users over the age of 13 to join, this is a somewhat alarming factoid. Facebook does have its merits: for example, it makes it easier to communicate with friends and family, especially if they happen to live far away. Studies have also shown that teenagers who use Facebook have a greater capacity for “virtual empathy” and display more compassion in their everyday lives, and that the site can positively impact self-esteem through the mode of cementing one’s personality and increasing self-awareness.
Facebook is a double-edged sword, however. It probably comes as no surprise that there exists a very real danger of children becoming too dependent on the site, hindering their ability to socialise properly with others and potentially negatively impacting their academic performance. Facebook can also foster narcissism in teenagers because it can turn into a public competition of whose photo gets more likes or who has more friends.
Another issue regarding Facebook is the fact that it gives every single user a permanent virtual tattoo. Once a photo of you is out there in cyberspace, that’s it. You can untag yourself, but the photo remains. If you post a thoughtless comment or status, you can delete it – websites are routinely archived for a variety of reasons, making it very difficult to completely eradicate anything you may regret. It is becoming increasingly crucial for Facebook users to monitor the information that’s posted about and from, them, because it’s just becoming far too easy to be cast in an unflattering (even if inaccurate) light because of a single mistake.
Perhaps one of the biggest concerns about Facebook is its privacy – or lack thereof. We constantly forget that any of the millions of random Internet users can find our profiles, and I’m sure there are a lot of us that have received friend requests from complete strangers. There are already horror stories out there, but don’t get complacent; after all, nobody thinks it could happen to them or someone they know – until it does. And by then it’s too late.
Facebook is an amazing tool, but if you want to experience all of its benefits and none of its drawbacks, be smart. Be careful which pictures and posts you make. Think before you press enter.
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