Social Media School Opinion Piece

-This is a school essay I wrote sharing my opinion on social media age limits. I’m interested in hearing different perspectives. -

I believe that 18 and over should be the minimum age for all social media sites, instead of the current 13 and over minimum. This is because it increases risks of depression and

suicide. Ben Pring, Tech Crunch, 2021, commented “We don’t let young people

drive, smoke, get married, join the Army, get a tattoo, or vote until we feel they’re old

enough to handle it. But we put some of the most powerful technologies ever known

to mankind in the hands of a 13-year-old and then stand back in amazement when

online bullying and body dysmorphia issues go off the charts, when self-harm and

suicide rates explode.” This means that children are not mature enough to

responsibly handle and understand social media and its dangers. Although, I do believe that all teenagers are different and some are much more responsible than others. But pushing up the age limit is really the only way I see to prevent social media from being used poorly and endangering the young.

Another reason is that kids tend to get addicted to social media and end up

spending countless hours on their phones at a time, instead of living their lives.

“Teens told us…they often feel ‘addicted’ [to Instagram] and know what they are

seeing is bad for their mental health but feel unable to stop themselves,”

acknowledged The Wall Street Journal. This shows that people get addicted and

can’t seem to stop scrolling. This can cause depression, loneliness, or even self-

harm.

Some people think that social media makes them feel like, during hard times, they

have people to help them through. But, instead, shouldn’t kids be out in the real

world making real, meaningful relationships and living their lives? (I am saying this point

out the importance of life balance and self-control, not to isolate or judge anyone.

Everyone’s situation is different.) They should go out and join groups or see their friends

and learn some social skills instead of how

to post pictures of only the best moments in their lives. On social media young

people may have many followers, but how many of those followers are their real

friends? Ultimately, it just provokes envy of others’ lives.

In conclusion, I believe that the minimum age for all sites on social media should be

raised to 18 and over from 13 and over because social media is very addictive, commonly

negatively impacts mental health, can prevent young people from making meaningful

friendships, and easily provokes envy and jealousy.

-I’d be curious to know what others think—do you agree or disagree? -