Editor,
There was a time when children would run to the playground and play hours after coming from the schools. But now that enthusiasm is waning gradually. Children of today are found lost inside a small screen which has completely ruined their social life and habits. Rather than playing physical games and engaging in outdoor activities, they remain busy scrolling the pages of Facebook and playing online games. And this paradigm shift in children’s behavior has raised the concern for restricting the use of social media under 18 years . Because the new technological change happening around the world has not only altered how a child thinks but also how they respond to the realities of life. What they are served in the social media now determines how they behave in a social set up and what they become tomorrow, which broader implications are far more consequential than one could guess . When a child sees in the social media that people own big houses , travel across the world easily and do parties regularly, he thinks everyone is happy except him and concludes affluency and extravagance as a normal thing for everyone. This brings a sense of disappointment within him when he does not find the same standards and facilities , as shown in social media, in his life. He deems life is an easy going thing . Due to this kind of growing social comparison, children often develop a negative feeling towards the parents, when their unreasonable demands are not met. The glint and vibrancy of social media has influenced the young ones so much today, that they cannot settle for anything less than what is shown in the reels. This leaves them upset and clueless as social media has shown them everything, except the ” mantra” to become successful, which lies in hardwork and perseverance. Actually algorithms are designed in a way that makes virtuality appear real. What is shown in the reels may not possess the truth, but have the colour, craft and art which makes every lie become a believable thing. And this is where the little children ,especially the teenagers, get trapped. They take the curated lifestyle videos and beauty benchmarks shown in the social media as necessities and get depressed when those are not found within themselves or in their life.
Equally damaging is the impact of social media in both the mental and physical health. The expectation of an impending notification in Facebook and Instagram often forces children to remain awake through the night, developing insomnia , weight loss, confused thinking and anxiety in them from a very early age. Cyber bullying is another hidden problem which has led to suicide in extreme cases. Many countries have put restrictions on social media use by children and opened a debate both in support and in against such steps. While the solutions for protecting children from the side effects of social media may not lie in imposing a complete ban on it, the broader question that should be rethought is that how did the children grow up four decades ago when Facebook, internet or Instagram was not there. Are the childhoods of those children less joyful compared to today’s children? The answer may lie in knowing that technology is important in today’s life, but it is not the ultimate source of knowledge and happiness. The value of “pie” was developed when there was no computer . Einstein discovered the theory of relativity without the help of AI. And children grew up , made friends and became educated adults even when there was no Facebook and internet. The real challenge before the youths and the elders today is to hold control over the technology without becoming its captives, so that virtuality does not wreck our health and habits in real life.
Kabir Ahmed Saikia
Rajabari, Jorhat
