Children, at least some of them, may be getting tired of social lives dominated by social media.
An October 5, 2017, article in The Guardian, Growing Social Media Backlash Among Young People, Survey Shows, describes the results of a United Kingdom study about social networking. After surveying 5,000 students, researchers found that nearly 63 percent of young respondents are “…disillusioned with the negative aspects of the technology, such as online abuse and fake news.” This makes me wonder how children in other countries might respond to the same question.
United Kingdom students also reported that uncivil social media activities had a negative impact on their personal wellness — digital and non — but also admitted that they themselves engaged in negative activity online. When asked for ideas to improve social media, kids recommended less fake news, better privacy, and improved content.
The article is chock full of educators’ thoughts and reactions and lots more answers to survey questions — definitely worth a read.
Media! Tech! Parenting! 