blog post #2

​Q. Do you think children and social media is a good thing?
A. In a lot of ways it can be a bad thing, that’s why my parents are quite hesitant.
If you have heard of cyberbullying, you know there are more incidents than grains of sand on the beach. Some incidents can be quite minor but others major. Getting “stalked” and rude comments are small things you can notice while online.
Also, people can get tricked into sending private information or explicit photos of themselves. Usually, cyber hackers will save this and broadcast it to the entirety of its followers.
Cyberbullying can damage ones mental health. Lots of cases have been reported, where young people have been depressed, have had severe anxiety and even attempted suicides. Unfortunately, some suicides have succeeded. 

A lot of parents are concerned about what the internet is doing to their children and would rather their children to put down their screens.
Another bad point is if young children (4-8) are on the internet and they see something inappropriate or wrong, it will affect what they do and how they think. It can affect their personality and behaviour.    
But it can also be a good thing. You can get introduced to different races and sexualities, which you need to get used to for your future life. Getting introduced to these things is a new way to understand the rapidly changing world around us.
 As I understand, for the generations before me, seeing a gay couple walking down the street wouldn’t be a normal thing. It is only just starting to become a normal thing now. I don’t necessarily think it was (always) considered a bad thing but because it wasn’t common parents weren’t comfortable talking about.
Overall, I’m torn. On one hand, there is a lot of cyberbullying, which can become quite scary when mental health is involved. But the internet has actually taught me a lot and I wouldn’t know half the things I do now. I know I will probably stay on the internet and on social media for a while longer, but I will be extra careful and I will take the right precautions.    
 
 Authors Note
Which side are you on?