By the time many students reach middle school, they are brimming with anticipation to enter the exciting world of social media. But is the adolescent mind really ready for all the drawbacks that come with modern social media?
In a recent article in Psychology Today, Dr. Victoria Dunkley discusses the many effects of social media on a middle school mind. Social media is attractive to young adults because it satisfies their needs to become popular, focus on themselves and try new things. But social media can quickly become a burden to them physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.
Social media was not designed for under-developed frontal cortexes that lack the capacity to handle the distraction or the temptation of social media. It is highly addictive and can establish future addiction patterns. Further, using social media at a young age prevents young adults from developing social skills in making face-to-face connections with peers while disconnecting them from their family.
Click HERE to read more about issues presented by tween social media use, as well as some strategies to slow your kids down.