Should Children Under 13 Have Social Media?

As handheld phones make their way to one of the most used gadgets every day, so does social media. There is no doubt- almost every adult worldwide uses applications such as email and text. The question now is whether children under 13 should have the same access to these platforms as their elders do. 

Social media presents many dangers to children- considering their minimal experiences in the past. Due to the lack of experience people under 13 have had durring their lives, predators make them easy tagrets for online harassment or acquiring private information. Given that the minor posesses some type of electronic device, the Media Conspumption for Minors Organization states that “it is not the best idea to allow kids under 13 to use social media on a daily basis.” It is not worth it to allow a child to use social media at the expense of their safety according to most parents of underage children. 

Some benefits of allowing children under 13 to use social media are their ability to connect with their friends and classmates with the click of a button. Other positive features to this practice include kids growing up feeling more confident about the outside world due to their early ages of being introduced to these platforms. Although there are countless benefits tied to children under 13 using social media, the majority of interviewed parents and teachers say it is best to leave social media access until after their 13th birthdays. This has been proven to produce more success rates in kids as well in their futures. By having their priorities set on education when kids are young, they often tend to continue that pattern even after social media is introduced to them. 

As this topic is discussed further, the majority of people conclude that it is up to the parents of children to decide at what age they should introduce cell phones to their kids.