It is a crazy time to be raising children when social media is such a huge presence in their lives, especially at a young age. Children can be quite impressionable, and take a lot of things to heart, including fame and being popular. Social media can certainly be a great form of entertainment, but can also be problematic for some families.
Fun Videos
Social media can be a great way for kids to learn a variety of topics, anything from cooking, cleaning, sports, crocheting, to learning about different cultures, countries, and even animals! There is so much content out there for children to broaden their horizons, and to appreciate the world around them. You can find specific learning channels on YouTube and TikTok that can cater and bolster this learning process for your children, no matter their ages!
Even if your children just want to watch goofy videos online, there’s nothing wrong with that either! Most kids and young adults are shying away from traditional movies and TV shows and are preferring shorter content, like TikTok videos. Similar to America’s Funniest Home Videos, some of these goofy and silly videos show animals or people getting into sticky situations and are completely harmless forms of entertainment.
Risky Videos
But of course, there are also videos on social media that are a little more dangerous for kids to see. They aren’t inherently bad, per se, but people on social media sometimes only care about views and getting the quick spotlight, so they will do risky, stupid, or dangerous activities online to get boosted. Kids can watch these videos and only take them at face value, however, they can also think that it’s okay to partake in similar activities.
One such viral trend of the last few years is that of the “Devious Licks” trend, where kids are stealing items from schools and posting the “treasure” on TikTok. Kids see it as risky but also to a certain degree “harmless”, although that is far from the truth. It is vandalism, and schools then have to track down the individuals responsible for the damage, and oftentimes have to replace the items stolen.
Understanding Social Media
Kids seeing these videos may try to do the same thing, or even up the ante as some kids have done with this specific trend. It’s important for you as a parent to make sure your children understand the difference between right and wrong, and the difference between the real world and what they see on social media.
Katie Kyzivat