ICT addiction is one of the most important problems 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 ICT, 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 it is also not very difficult to transmit xenophobic messages, messages that incite eating disorders such as anorexia, self-harm, suicide, or even risky behaviors.
Also, there is the risk of creating a fictitious identity, enhanced by a factor of deception, self-deception, or fantasy. Thus, for example, adolescents “hook up” quite a bit virtually because they “cut themselves off” less. However, it facilitates the confusion between the intimate, the private, and the public, which can favor the misuse of private information by unknown people and encourages histrionic and narcissistic behaviors or, clearly, reality-distorting behaviors, for example, boasting about the number of “friends” added.
What risks does social media use entail for adolescents?
- Privacy and security. They share data that violates 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 social networks that creates the most addiction; it is easy to install, easy to use, and is based on its visual nature.
- Tendency to 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, 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 anxiety and frustration. Similarly, insomnia appears.
- “FOMO Syndrome” or fear of being left out of the network or missing something. 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 ideation. 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 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.
- Control 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 about the use of social media, especially Instagram.
- Establish parental control for children under 13.