Love all of this, Devorah. It also occurs to me that incessant checking will condition kids to incessantly hide from parents. We parents are always telling kids to come to us if they are in trouble, but our checking trains them to do the opposite. Why should they trust us with important stuff when we have given constant messages that we do not trust them?
Thank you. I totally understand why everyone is SO fed up with social. I just think we have to find better ways to address the situation. Locking kids down is also very poor preparation for adult life and participation in digital communities.
Sorry, Devorah, you lost me when you felt it necessary to add this to your argument:
“Especially a state that has banned affirming healthcare for transgender kids and teenagers.”
It is precisely because of the outsized influence of social media that young people are experiencing rapid onset gender dysphoria in record numbers and insisting they need puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to be their true selves.
I guess you’re part of that bandwagon that accepts that gender is fluid and that stating one’s pronouns or dressing like a girl entitles males to access women’s spaces.
I do not find this unreasonable in the least bit. I think it is irresponsible to allow those under 18 access to social media. Mainly because, unlike most juvenile court records, a person's "digital footprint" lives on forever. This is especially problematic when teens do not get into college or lose job opportunities later in life because of something they posted online as an adolescent. Furthermore, the algorithms employed by big tech conglomerates are predatory, prioritizing the most polarizing or inappropriate content with little regard for an audience's age. Studies show that our children and teens are more depressed than ever, have fewer friends, and spend more time alone. It is not as if teens will not have access to their cell phones to group-text their friends, call them, access the internet for emergency services or parent-approved support networks that cater to individuals in their age group, etc.
Love all of this, Devorah. It also occurs to me that incessant checking will condition kids to incessantly hide from parents. We parents are always telling kids to come to us if they are in trouble, but our checking trains them to do the opposite. Why should they trust us with important stuff when we have given constant messages that we do not trust them?
Exactly.
This may be my favorite thing you've ever written - and that's something, b/c you've written lots of great stuff! I'll be sharing.
Thank you!
Thank you for this important and nuanced tech.
TAKE, not tech
Thank you. I totally understand why everyone is SO fed up with social. I just think we have to find better ways to address the situation. Locking kids down is also very poor preparation for adult life and participation in digital communities.
Sorry, Devorah, you lost me when you felt it necessary to add this to your argument:
“Especially a state that has banned affirming healthcare for transgender kids and teenagers.”
It is precisely because of the outsized influence of social media that young people are experiencing rapid onset gender dysphoria in record numbers and insisting they need puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to be their true selves.
I guess you’re part of that bandwagon that accepts that gender is fluid and that stating one’s pronouns or dressing like a girl entitles males to access women’s spaces.
Thank you for your comment.
I do not find this unreasonable in the least bit. I think it is irresponsible to allow those under 18 access to social media. Mainly because, unlike most juvenile court records, a person's "digital footprint" lives on forever. This is especially problematic when teens do not get into college or lose job opportunities later in life because of something they posted online as an adolescent. Furthermore, the algorithms employed by big tech conglomerates are predatory, prioritizing the most polarizing or inappropriate content with little regard for an audience's age. Studies show that our children and teens are more depressed than ever, have fewer friends, and spend more time alone. It is not as if teens will not have access to their cell phones to group-text their friends, call them, access the internet for emergency services or parent-approved support networks that cater to individuals in their age group, etc.
I hear you on this. I do agree that not everything on social is great, but I don't think putting this on parents solves for that.