Children need preparing emotionally for social media warns Children's Commissioner

by Lauren Abbott

labbott@thekmgroup.co.uk

Social media is having a significant emotional impact on children, long before they become teenagers, according to a new report.

Despite most sites having an official age limit of 13, more than three quarters of 10 to 12 year-olds are estimated to have an account of their own.

Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner for England, has revealed the findings in her report 'Life in Likes' which has revealed a child's use of social media changes dramatically when their social circles expand during their first year in secondary school. A change, she says, they are very often not ready for.

As children's social circles widen their use of social media changes

She explained: “While social media clearly provides some great benefits to children, it is also exposing them to significant risks emotionally, particularly as they approach Year 7.

"I am worried that many children are starting secondary school ill-equipped to cope with the sudden demands of social media as their world expands."

Growing anxiety over their online image, becoming overly dependent on 'likes' and 'comments' for social validation, a pressure to be constantly connected at the expense of other activities and parents posting images of them on social media without their permission are all concerns and worries the report says young people are dealing with.

Children admitted to losing focus on their homework to use social media

The study reached its conclusion following a series of focus groups with eight to 12 year olds.

The Commissioner says both schools and parents must prepare children for this change towards the end of primary school when pupils tend to stop using social media merely for 'game playing' and that pre-teens need to be taught about the emotional side of social media as much as online safety.

Parents and schools need to prepare children for the emotional impact, says report.

She explained: “Just because a child has learnt the safety messages at primary school does not mean they are prepared for all the challenges that social media will present. It means a bigger role for schools in making sure children are prepared for the emotional demands of social media. And it means social media companies need to take more responsibility.

“Failing to do so risks leaving a generation of children growing up chasing ‘likes’ to make them feel happy, worried about their appearance and image as a result of the unrealistic lifestyles they follow on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, and increasingly anxious about switching off due to the constant demands of social media.”