by Rebecca Costanza, opinion article editor
Tinder, Facebook, and Instagram. Three of the most popular social media apps. They may be fun and games, but how safe are they?
Kids should not be using social media because it is rather dangerous in the aspect that there are predators online. These predators specifically look for children who are vulnerable. They may even pose as a child on websites, and “catfish” these children into thinking they are a friend and try to meet up with them.
“There are many pedophiles and their prey is little children and the children are underage. If someone talks to them via social media they wouldn’t know how to respond to it. They should be going outside and play,” senior Gabby Martini said.
On the other hand, social media is not too shabby because it can be beneficial to the education of children. On Facebook, children can discuss school work together, after school hours. Children using the social network can also develop stronger digital skills and competence, as they learn how to post pictures and comments on the site, as well as navigate through the internet.
Cyberbullying is also a new problem among child social network users. Parents need to be aware of who their children talk to on social network sites, teach their children about the dangers of posting personal information while networking, monitor their internet usage, and ensure that social networking profiles are set to private and not public.
“Based on how you use the social media could be more dangerous or less dangerous. You shouldn’t put your personal information for the public to see; if you are smart by keeping your personal information private by talking to your friends on social media and not strangers then I think that’s okay,” senior Daniella Bohan said.
All in all, parents need to teach their children the dangers of social media. This is because it can be very risky between online predators and cyber bullying.
