Impact of Media on Children
Impact of Media on Children
Media has continuously pervaded and defined society, furthermore it has also advanced with technology. Media impacts and shapes society’s opinion on the subjects of politics, business, culture, and sports. The positive aspects of free media far outweigh the negative effects that may occur. In the case of internet based media, control is difficult.
Although the traditional forms of media such as television, newspapers, posters and snail mail continue to be popular forms of mass communication, email, social online media have replaced expensive print media production such as magazines and photographic paper.
Media’s presence in every child’s life is totally ubiquitous. As screens become omnipresent in our lives, especially smart phones and tablets, the new generation is spending a considerable period of time browsing the internet and playing digital games. The result is that children, today, are completely pervaded in media experiences from a very young age. Just like every cloud has a silver lining, social media can be used in ways that promote positive and productive ideas in society. The online dangers and negative fallouts from social media such as cyber bullying notwithstanding the positive behaviors, make social media an invaluable tool to young people if used correctly.
Due to endless exposure from being online, teens hone various skills that enable them to evaluate and interpret situations contextually which prepares them mentally for the real world. Popular YouTube sites have an unending stream of educational videos that can give anyone the ability to sharpen and develop their various skills and talents, for example, playing musical instruments, dancing, swimming or cooking.
The journey to make an impact and be socially accepted turns out to be an adventure on the social networking sites for young people since it is like exploring a new place where different skills are needed which then drives them to think out of the box resulting in new applications that express creativity and individuality.
There is a wealth of information on coping with the vast resources of the Media, both good and bad. We cannot whisk away the impact of social media on our lives. Educational institutes have to work in collaboration with parents to create positive impact while nurturing and molding young minds. Parents play an important role in their child’s social learning, but if a parent’s point of view is not discussed explicitly with children, the medium may teach and influence by default. PICT Model School has adopted strategies that encourage developing skills by using social media. For e.g. If you are watching a show about animals and your child seems excited about it, you can go online with them and look up the websites with pictures and facts, followed by an insightful discussion which will help the child recall, comprehend, analyze and evaluate this information.
Above all, parents should appreciate that there is potential for more good than bad, as long as one has the knowledge to tell the difference. In order to make Media have a positive effect on the children, parents should assist them and follow their activities and be their collaborators at every step of their life.
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