How Social Media is Contributing to Unhealthy Children
Why is it that the youth are lazy, out of shape and unhealthy? You can deny it if you wish, but the health experts have been warning about the dangers of social media for some time.
Kids are glued to their phones all day long, and no longer go outside to run around and play. Instead, they are inside, playing on their mobile phones searching social media. They are posting selfies and commenting on pictures and videos of their friends, rather than actually playing with them.
It’s no wonder that more children today are overweight and unhealthy than previously. While the simple solution is for parents to, wait for it — be parents — and limit their social media use, it’s time we look into why social media is causing today’s youth to be very unhealthy.
They Aren’t Going Outside to Play
Years ago kids would come home from school, drop their bags inside and then go outside to play in the neighborhood. From basketball in the driveway to riding bikes — there was plenty of physical activity happening.
“Kinds simply aren’t getting the physical exercise they once did,” says Henk Schipper of Jaloezieen Fabriek. “They are sitting still eating junk food and scrolling through social media feeds.”
What is the solution? Parents need to make their kids go outside and play. Want to use your phone at night? Great, go out and get some fresh air for a couple hours after school.
Kids are also missing out on making real life friends and connections. Instead they are making fake friends that only exist virtually.
Unprotected Eyes Are Developing Problems at Early Ages
All of the screen time kids are logging on their phones are having a negative impact on their eyes. Years down the road there are sure to be some major health problems and maybe even premature blindness.
“Kinds stare at their phones all day long, exposing them to harmful blue light,” explains Chris Rush of vehicle specific enclosures retailer HiFi Sound Connection. “Parents really should look into getting their kids computer glasses that block out that harmful blue light.”
This is a simple preventative measure that can help prevent serious issues later in life.
They Are Consuming Content Unsupervised
This is a big problem, as some social networks have no censorship, like Twitter, for example. Kids are coming in contact with adult content, hateful content and very questionable content from a moral stance.
“There is a lot of hateful and hurtful content on social media that kids are being exposed to because they are not being supervised,” says a professional blogger, whose blog can be seen here. “Parents often aren’t aware of just how bad it is.”
The responsibility needs to fall on the parents. It’s their responsibility to make sure their children are protected and not being introduced to potentially harmful content on social media. It is stressful being a parent these days, which is why so many parents are turning to hemp oil in order to relax and eliminate anxiety.
Be sure to look into the specific parental controls that most social media platforms offer.