As the age of technology has progressed, cell phones, tablets, and other devices have become household items. With this increased use of tech, social media has also become more prominent. But while platforms like Facebook caters to adults, more and more social media apps are targeting kids. TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are among many apps that advertise to a younger audience. While social media can be a good tool for connection and communication, children still in elementary school should not have access just yet. 

There are a number of reasons to restrict access to social media.  Some of the content on social media that could be seen by kids is highly concerning. Recently, TikTok has displayed the aftermath of attacks in Ukraine. In addition, constant dangers of social media include cyberbullying and online predators. In a poll conducted by C.S Mott Children’s Hospital, parents shared that 50% of children 10 to 12 years old and 33% of children 7 to 9 years old use social media apps. It is irresponsible to allow a child that young to be exposed to any of that. 

A big downside of social media is the pressure it places on kids, to change their appearance, act a certain way, or think a certain way. For example, young girls may see photos or videos of women who look “perfect”, but are really just editing all their flaws away. After seeing something like this over and over again, a young girl could start to think they should look that way, too. This can be very harmful to their development, since they don’t realize everything on screen isn’t always accurate to real life. Additionally, kids are not yet able to recognize and consider bias. This can lead to them believing false claims and misinformation, which can be potentially dangerous. 

Kids are also more likely to grow up too fast when they spend an excessive amount of time on social media. They begin to follow trends that were meant for older audiences. They try to act more mature and end up worrying more about trivial things like appearance rather than enjoying their youth. Social media can also expose kids to heavy topics in blunt ways, teaching them things they shouldn’t have to learn about until they are much older. This can be harmful psychologically. 

Social media can also potentially cause kids physical harm by pressuring them into participating in dangerous trends. Teenagers and adults can think critically to decide if something shown online is a bad idea. However, kids can’t; many will believe everything they see and be inclined to try it themselves. 

“Kids don’t have the cognitive and executive functioning to think through harmful situations and why those might be a bad idea,” says child psychologist Dr. Kate Eshleman, PsyD. “So sometimes they’re placing themselves at physical risk.” 

A large spike in technology use can be attributed to the pandemic. According to the New York Times, daily screen use went up among tweens (ages 8 to 12) to five hours and 33 minutes in 2021. Around 38% of tweens have social media, which is likely less than the actual total since kids may lie about their age. 

The amount of time young kids spend on social media is concerning. It would be smart to keep elementary age children away from social media platforms.