Fear the Facebook?

As a whole, we have all become too familiar with those time consuming, procrastination achieving, social networking sites. To make this idea more apparent, findings from a recent study state that 87% of adolescents (ages 12 to 17) report using the Internet. I, myself, spend an immense amount of time dedicated to browsing the Internet. Such Internet use provides adolescents and young adults with the opportunity to communicate with friends and family members; however, the Internet, especially social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, may potentially serve as harmful distractions from daily life. “To Tweet, or Not to Tweet,” expresses several protective factors within Internet use by examining social networking gender differences and potential positive and negative Internet use effects.

To emphasize the prevalence of social networking use among adolescents, the article’s authors focused on gender differences among Internet use. As a result, researchers from the Pew Internet and American Life Project identified Internet use differences among different races, ethnicities, and income. They further concluded that the majority of teenagers regularly use the Internet, emphasizing that African Americans (77%) are less likely (77%) than Caucasian adolescents (87%) to browse the Internet. These statistics signify the strong relationship between race and leisure activity participation, particularly Internet use. Furthermore, the significance of adolescents’ household incomes in relation to Internet use demonstrates that low-income adolescents are less likely than others to report web browsing. Although not always accurate, it can be inferred that Internet use is most prevalent among Caucasian and middle to higher income adolescents. Based on these findings, protective factors can be implemented for those people who tend to engage in Internet use more often than others. This way, adolescents with higher Internet use rates will be able to understand its possible negative effects.

Popular Internet methods, such as social networking sites, blogging, and email, are positive web browsing techniques that allow adolescents to engage in communication and further their technological skills. Social networking sites (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) allow users to create a personal profile that may contain pictures and their correlating information. SNS are beneficial in that they make friends and family members easily accessible by the click of a mouse. Their popularity is demonstrated by the numerous 91% of the adolescent community engaged in social networking sites. Blogging, too, is an Internet method in which users connect and stay in touch with friends they see frequently or rarely see personally. Emailing is yet another accepted web browsing method that is seen more in college aged students rather than younger teenagers. Emailing is a quick and easy way to relay information back and forth to professors or classmates. Emailing, however, is not as frequently utilized as social networking sites which are common distractions for adolescents. This leads to the article’s idea of interest: Although there are positive aspects of Internet use, can it be harmful to its users, specifically adolescents?

The article’s main concerns are online social activity threats which include cyberbullying and sexual predators. Cyberbulling is defined as the harassment or bullying of an individual electronically, and it usually occurs through social networking sites. A United States survey of 10 to 17 year old Internet users that had used the Internet at least once per month in the past 6 months reported that 9% were cyberbullying victims. This behavior’s negative effects can be detrimental to adolescents, damaging their well-being. Sexual predators are also common dangers to those who frequently use the Internet. As teenagers browse the Internet, there is the possibility of a sexual predator on the other side of the computer screen. The article states that the arrest number against sexual predators does not even begin to account for all of the acts committed. As demonstrated throughout the article, frequent Internet use correlates with higher risks of the threats mentioned above. Parental monitoring of adolescents’ activities represents the most direct way to address adolescent behavior and may potentially minimize negative risks and consequences. It is imperative that young Internet users, as well as parents, understand the severity of these dangerous acts and take primary cautions when their kids are browsing the Internet.

Online social media, such as social networking sites, have become integral parts of adolescents’ and young adults’ lives. Parents should strive to better understand these sites and the potential benefits and hazards of adolescent online activities.