How Apps Are Making Your Kids Unproductive and How To Curb It

To every individual, social media is one of two things; a blessing or a ‘curse’. Whichever it is for you depends on how you use it.

With the advent of Social Media, the world’s view on addiction and obsessive behavior has evolved. Prior to this time, substance abuse and self-pleasing sexual acts were the first things that come to mind when the word addiction is mentioned.

Today, it is like we are chained to our phones. Social Media Addiction is a major problem in today’s society. The sad part about it is the fact that social media addiction reinforces other types of addiction. With social media and the internet, there is easier access to porn. This has strongly reinforced pornography addiction.

In so many ways, the use of social media can reinforce substance abuse. As the rate of cyberbullying on social media sites increases, depression and other mental health issues have also become on a rise. A research carried out last year suggests a link between social media use and depression.  According to this report, the depressive symptoms were much stronger in girls than boys.

According to another research, people who used social media the most were about 2.7 times more likely to be depressed than people who used social media the least. The kids are the most vulnerable set of individuals when it comes to the negative end results of using the internet. 

One major way depression through social media can adversely affect your child is the reduction in his/ her ability to be productive. Inconsistent academic results, panic attacks, truancy and so many other symptoms of depression can be loosely tied to the overuse of social media.

Now, I’m certain that your parental instincts might be firing up. Thoughts like ‘I’m going to sell my phone online (as well as my kids’) may be crossing your head at this moment. Getting rid of all phones in the house may be a tad bit drastic. Immediate elimination of social media-enabled devices may only make things worse. The first thing you should do before taking any action is to understand how depression is linked to social media use. Understanding this will help you make the right decisions on how to help your kid navigate through these symptoms.

This article will show how social media in which social media is linked to depression. 

1. Time Spent Online VS The Real World

On the average, people spend about 5 hours on social media. The figures may be a lot more if the person concerned is between the ages of 14 and 19. Considering the fact that most people are only awake for about 15 hours daily, 5+ hours on social media is quite a lot. This would mean that the average person spends one-third of his day online.

Spending a lot of time on the internet would definitely do a number on your kid’s mental health.   With social media addiction, kids live in a virtual reality. Since they spend a lot of time in a virtual world, what they see in the real world may not meet their expectations.

As a result, the kids may exhibit depressive symptoms whenever they are not on their phone, using social media applications. The best way to work around this is to insist on a reduction in the time that they spend online. However, it is important that this new free time is replaced with activities that ensure interaction with non-virtual reality. Have them get interested in interesting activities that involve human interaction. Some of these activities may include joining a neighborhood or school sports team, learning to play a musical instrument, volunteering at the pet shelter, joining healthy religious organizations, taking yoga classes, exercising et cetera.

2. Glam on the Gram

It is not uncommon for people to post their best moments online.  No one will post a picture they took the time they had a bad hair day or the time their outfit made them look three sizes bigger. With the easy-to-use photo editing apps, the beauty standards set by society keep getting more unrealistic by the day.

Kids who spend a lot of time online may begin to exhibit strange habits that are linked to depression and other mental issues.  Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia among young women have been linked to the unrealistic beauty standards set by social media. Others just get depressed if they find out that people their age have achieved a lot more than they have.  

One way to curb this is by making them reduce their time spent on the internet. Apart from that, you should have a talk with them that they are great just the way they are. You may also have to be frank with your kids and tell them that most people on the internet live fake lives. And that there is no need for them to envy a person whose happiness might be doctored.

3. Cyber Bullying

With social media, there are increased opportunities for bullying. Don’t get me wrong, kids were bullied long before smartphones came on the scene and became very popular. However, the difference between then and now is the fact that kids could escape from bullies in the past. As long as they were away from school, the bullying stopped.

However, with social media, people with smartphones can remain connected all day long. Escaping bullying in this new social construct is basically impossible. Kids can be easily harassed at any time during the day or night.

The side effects of cyberbullying can extend well into adulthood. This is why you should get your child help immediately if you see symptoms like substance abuse, poor academic performance, low self-esteem and truancy. They could be linked to cyberbullying.  

With cyber bullying, your actions should be a lot more drastic. Make sure you delete apps that allow for anonymous conversation. Delete apps that have access to their media files. Make sure you not only reduce their time spent online but also closely monitor them.