TIC addiction is one of the most significant issues today, as we spend our days surrounded by them, and it’s difficult not to be hooked 24 hours a day.
However, beyond their abusive use of ICTs, they also entail other risks such as access to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, or loss of privacy.
Cyberbullying and Privacy on Social Media
For example, in the case of social media, it is relatively easy to access not only pornographic or violent content, but also to transmit xenophobic messages, messages that incite eating disorders such as anorexia, self-harm, suicide, or even risky behaviors.
There is also the risk of creating a fictitious identity, enhanced by a factor of deception, self-deception, or fantasy. For example, adolescents often flirt virtually because they “hold back” less. However, this facilitates confusion between what is intimate, private, and public, which can lead to the misuse of private information by unknown individuals and encourages histrionic and narcissistic behaviors or, clearly, reality-distorting behaviors, such as boasting about the number of “friends” added.
What Risks Does Social Media Use Entail for Adolescents?
- Privacy and security. They share data that compromises privacy and security.
- Cyberbullying. School bullying through social networks has been affecting adolescents for some time; it started through Messenger and later expanded through Facebook, Twitter – with calls for group self-harm – and currently, through Instagram.
- Possible addiction. For example, Instagram is one of the most addictive social networks; it is easy to install, easy to use, and based on its visual nature.
- Tendency towards some psychological disorders. If adolescents spend more than two hours a day on social media like Instagram, they are more prone to suffering from anxious-depressive symptoms, body dysmorphic disorder, EDs (Eating Disorders), narcissistic, histrionic, and schizoid personality traits, school and/or workplace bullying, and other emotional problems linked to self-harm. Most of these symptoms are hidden behind insecurity, restlessness, low self-esteem, insomnia, or worry. And, no less important, generating fewer likes than a friend produces episodes of anxiety and frustration. Similarly, episodes of insomnia appear.
- “FOMO Syndrome” or fear of missing out or being left out of the network. Therefore, it is important to work on the sense of self so that the adolescent learns to value themselves and not depend solely on external reinforcement.
- Self-harm and suicidal ideations. Adolescents communicate on Instagram through images and hashtags with other users. On some occasions, these hashtags serve to publicize behaviors as dangerous as self-harm.
Guidelines for Parents on Social Media Use
- Children under 13 years old should not have any type of social media profile – neither alone nor accompanied – on any social network.
- Parents should have direct and regular access to their children’s Instagram.
- Minors’ profiles should be private.
- Monitor the photos uploaded by minors.
- Talk to your children about the need to protect and take care of themselves.
- Maintain rules between parents and children regarding the use of social media, especially Instagram.
- Establish parental control for children under 13.