A Plus Writer

Running head: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON A CHILD’S INTERPERSONAL SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 1

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON A CHILD’S INTERPERSONAL SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 3

The Impact of Social Networking on a Child’s Interpersonal Social Networking

Tyrone McCusker

Florida Institute of Technology

Abstract

As the use of social media is increasing among children, individuals question whether the increase generates positive or negative outcomes. This questioning forms the basis of this paper. Concerns about the effect that the social media sites have on children constitute the content of different studies. This paper theorizes that online social networking negatively affects children’s interpersonal functioning as it reduces their social connectedness, their well-being, and increases the chance of bullying, which can lead to social awkwardness and social anxiety. For this reason, the method used to examine the thesis is through literature review. The included sources are primarily journal articles, most of which use scientific methods that would assist in validating this argument.

The Impact of Social Networking on a Child’s Interpersonal Social Connectedness

Introduction

As the use of social media is increasing among children, individuals question whether the increase generates positive of negative outcomes. This questioning warrants a greater understanding, specifically concerning the manner in which social media use among children affects their social connectedness. According to Amanda Lenhart (2015), an assessment of the online behaviors of individuals indicates that visiting social networking sites is the most frequent activity that many the people do while online. In this light, it would be vital to examine the manner in which social media use has the interpersonal functioning of the children in terms of their social connectedness, interpersonal functioning, well-being, as well as the chance of bullying. As a result, there is a possibility of asserting that online social networking negatively affects children’s interpersonal functioning as it reduces their social connectedness, their well-being, and increases the chance of bullying, which can lead to social awkwardness and social anxiety.

Literature Review

Children and adolescents could use the social media positively since it is not only an avenue for interacting, but it provides them with the opportunity to learn as they interact with their friends. In this case, the platform could be used as an alternative to getting students to become interested in learning, which is an alternative medium. Young people consider social networking as an important aspect of their lives, even though they do not only use the medium for interaction. In this case, social media provides them with an avenue through which they could express themselves freely, without having to see each other face-to-face. Even though there are numerous ways to which the children could use social media positively, the negative effects are severe.

It is well established that the foundation of long-lasting interpersonal bonds is social connection. In this case, human beings possess innate psychological drives to belong to a particular group or groups, consequently taking part in meaningful interactions. An overriding factor to consider when assessing the normative developmental trajectories in children is that the central feature is their social connections (Lenhart, 2015). When a child perceives a great sense of belonging in school, they characteristically value learning and the academic material. Conversely, a child that perceives a weak sense of belonging among his or her peers, he or she is likely to engage in maladaptive internalizing as well as externalizing behavior (Lenhart, 2015). In this light, their social connections can contribute to children’s psychosocial well-being, which is inclusive of depression, loneliness, and their anxiety levels.

Children and adolescents in the contemporary society use the different social network to socialize and communicate. The persistent use of social networks limits the effectiveness of the young people when communicating with others or when resolving conflicts in person. In this light, they can negatively affect their behavior and impair the capability of developing and maintaining relationships (Drussell, 2012). Since communication is fundamental in personal relationships and that the quality of the relationships could be assessed by looking at the communication skills of individuals, the impairment of effective communication can prevent successful relational development in children and adolescents. The impairment can affect family relationships, their performance in school, socialization, and the possibility of securing employment.

The interpersonal functioning of the young people could further be affected by their excessive use of social media since it might underhandedly hold back proper interpersonal skill development. In this light, Drussell (2012) argues that their dependence on the social networking sites is likely to decrease their social involvement, consequently increasing their loneliness, which is a factor that might lead to depression. On the other hand, the excessive use of social networking for communication might lead to a decrease in communication among the members of a family, which might weaken their family bond.

The other negative consequence of social media networks is that it opens up opportunities for online bullying. To prevent children from being bullied online Hessel and Dworkin (2017) take note of the idea that parents solicit for information from their children and use the information to protect them. However, the authors indicate that the solicitation affects their prosocial and internalization of behavior. No matter how careful a parent can be when activating privacy settings for the gadgets their children use, it can be difficult to eradicate the risk of cyber bullying. The constant connection to the external world through social media networks can make it impossible for children to escape online bullying.

There is a possibility of arguing that bullying through the social media can be more subtle than physical bullying, especially at the beginning of the act. However, persistent online bullying could lead to the victimization of the child. In their study, Frison, Subrahmanyam, and Eggermont (2016) indicate that one of the risk factors that might be a derivative of victimization through facebook is depression. One of the most serious consequences of depression is suicide. In this case, the increase in bullying instances through the social networking sites has caused some instances of suicide among teenagers. The reason that some of the teenagers choose to commit suicide emanates from the idea that they do not have the capacity to deal with being bullied. Other consequences of online bullying include feelings of isolation, self-esteem issues, and self-harm, among others. Most of the victims exhibit clear signs of victimization.

On the other hand, studies show that teenagers that spend more than three hours on social networking sites during school days are highly likely to suffer from poor mental health (Jamieson, 2015). A study by Igor Pantic (2014) reveals that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between the time students spend on social networking sites depressive symptoms. One of the reasons provided to support the derived relationship is the provision that communication through the online networks can lead to a possibly wrong impression of the personality traits of the other users (Pantic, 2014). In this case, the teenager might misinterpret the physical appearance, moral integrity, or the intelligence of other users. For this reason, they may perceive them to be happier or more successful than they are, leading to their conclusion that life is not fair for them.

The thoughts might affect their mental wellbeing, particularly those that have particular depressive predispositions and other psychiatric conditions. In light of the argument that social networking sites can negatively affect a child’s self-esteem, Pantic (2014) argues that the principal cause is the idea that they promote self-presentation since the sites allow users to post their images and talk about some issues that might affect other users. They refer to others to evaluate themselves constantly, consequently comparing their achievements with those of the other users. The comparison might encourage feelings such as jealousy and the development of narcissistic behavior (Assunção et al., 2017). Even though the comparison could encourage the user positively, in most cases, the action affects the self-esteem of the young people negatively.

The social networking sites can also affect a child’s psychosocial wellbeing since the child can feel caught between the need to have a sense of social connectedness with his or her peers and their desire to create his or her individuality and own sense of identity. In most cases, the balance between the two desires might be disrupted. Consequently, it would lead to the development of loneliness. Loneliness occurs when a child feels that his or her expectations of interpersonal relationships do not line up with his or her lived experiences. According to Allen et al. (2014), loneliness can jeopardize the healthy development of a child or teenager, leading to a reduction in psychosocial wellbeing. The situation might also occur in children with learning disabilities.

The increased loneliness can possibly be more evident when the children carry out conversations with individuals that they might have met online. Socially anxious children and adolescents might be aware that they are lonely because of a reduction in their social skills while in offline situations. For this reason, they feel socially empowered when communicating with other people online, which is a situation that might reduce their anxiety. As a result, they might stop making new personal connections. On the other hand, Allen et al. (2014) suggest that children with learning disabilities can be interacting with their online friends as a function of the establishment of few meaningful social connections during face-to-face situations. These provisions could be used to indicate that the impact that the social networking sites have on the psychosocial wellbeing of the children might be an influence on their motivation for using the social networking sites. However, it would be possible to consider this deliberation as inconclusive.

It is natural for an individual to seek out information as well as experiences they could use for identity gratification. The use of the social networking sites for this purpose presents the adolescents with a variety of opportunities and costs. This gives them the ability to express their sexuality and develop and maintain their positive self-image. The ease with which people can access other people’s information from the profiles on social media might generate negative cascading effects. Individuals are increasingly using the social media to express their social identities. This capability can create problems for adolescents since it can create tension between the expression of one’s sexual identity and the accusation of promiscuity. In particular, girls that post pictures that reveal their skimpy dressing might be victims of such accusations.

Conclusion

The increase in the use of social networking sites has both positive and negative effects, particularly for children and adolescents. In this case, a possible argument is that the social media networks can affect the interpersonal functioning of children in terms of their interpersonal functioning, well being, as well as the chance of bullying. As a result, an individual could argue that online social networking negatively affects children’s interpersonal functioning as it reduces their social connectedness, their well-being, and increases the chance of bullying, which can lead to social awkwardness and social anxiety.

References

Allen, K., Ryan, T., Gray, D., McInerney, D., & Waters, L. (2014). Social Media Use and Social Connectedness in Adolescents: The Positives and the Potential Pitfalls. The Australian Educational And Developmental Psychologist, 31(01), 18-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/edp.2014.2

Assunção, R. S., Costa, P., Tagliabue, S., & Mena Matos, P. (2017). Problematic facebook use in adolescents: Associations with parental attachment and alienation to peers. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(11), 2990-2998. doi:10.1007/s10826-017-0817-2

Drussell, J. (2012). Social Networking and Interpersonal Communication and Conflict Resolution skills among College Freshmen. Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers. Paper 21.

Frison, E., Subrahmanyam, K., &Eggermont, S. (2016). The short-term longitudinal and reciprocal relations between peer victimization on facebook and adolescents’ well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(9), 1755-1771. doi:10.1007/s10964-016-0436-z

Hessel, H., He, Y., & Dworkin, J. (2017). Paternal monitoring: The relationship between online and in-person solicitation and youth outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(2), 288-299. doi:10.1007/s10964-016-0490-6

Jamieson, S. (2015). Excessive social media use harms children's mental health. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2017, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/11943810/Excessive-social-media-use-harms-childrens-mental-health.html

Klinkhoff, C. (2017). The Effects of Online Social Networking on Social Connectedness and Friendship Quality Among Adolescents. PCOM Psychology Dissertations. 416.

Lenhart, A. (2015). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved 29 November 2017, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

Lock, R., Cooke, L., & Jackson, T. (2013). Online social networking, order and disorder. Electronic Journal of E-Government, 11(2), 229.

Pantic, I. (2014). Online Social Networking and Mental Health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 17(10), 652-657. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0070