Children Under 13 Should Not Be Allowed on Social Media, and Here’s Why

Letting your kid on social media sites can influence their development and even the transition into their teens. Maybe it’s ok for your kid to use social media under supervision, but the disadvantages beat the advantages on many different levels. You can’t monitor their every step, because a potential danger could be one click away and they probably won’t even be aware of it.

Bright Side learned about the dangers of children under 13 years using social media sites and we wanted to warn you about them.

Your kid will see a different reality on social media sites.

As your kids grow up, they will start asking new questions about themselves. For girls, this means going toward fashion trends and makeup, while for guys deodorant and hair gel suddenly become significant. Ironically, staying on track with trends is important in order to fit in, however if the kid uses social media, these results will be different.

On these sites, they won’t just be influenced by kids around their own age and in their circle of friends, but way beyond. They will feel pressured to keep up with worldwide trends. For a young mind that is in the developing stages of self-esteem, it can give them the impression that they won’t ever be able to attain the same status, get the same things — basically, they’ll think they will never be able to catch up.

Your kid might share too much.

Like it or not, if a kid under 13 uses a social media site, they will also be tempted to share and they might share things that are not really for the whole world to see. Also, little kids might take photos of your ID or credit card, and share them. Even if they only share their location or an image that easily shows where they are, it can get stalkers and shady characters’ attention and could put your kid in danger.

They might become a victim of online bullying or become one.

Bullying on social media sites can be even worse than real-life bullying, because those people can act freely and most often do it anonymously. While bullying happens no matter how old you are, kids under 13 are the most affected by it because that’s when kids’ self-esteem starts to form. So, bullying will make children seek virtual approval, which can become uncontrollable. Abusive language and gossiping can spike anxiety too, which might result in panic attacks. There is even a chance that cyberbullying could trigger self-harm.

Your kid might develop anxiety.

All the trends, bullying, and false reality can make kids anxious easily, and even depressed. Kids still don’t have a strong self-esteem and confidence and this is the main reason why kids shouldn’t be allowed to use social sites. In this period, children should be led to build on the skills they are good at, if this doesn’t happen their life could be more difficult.

Your kid can get pushed into participating in dangerous trends.

Whether it concerns fashion, dance, or some kind of game, kids become more and more obsessed with these things. The bad thing about these is that there are trends that can put your child’s life in danger. Some of the past trends and challenges are known for being unpredictable and very dangerous.

He might get scammed and even become a victim of identity theft.

Kids are a treasure in the eyes of scammers and identity thieves. This is because children don’t take out loans, have credit cards, or pay the bills. Their credit score is clean and thieves can exploit them. These people specifically target children who are using social sites and things can get really bad really fast because scammers find them to be the easiest targets.

Do you let your kid use social media? If they are already on social sites, what steps do you take to keep them safe?