When Is Your Brain Ready for Social Media?

Most social media platforms say you need to be 13 to have your own account. But when is your brain ready to handle social media? Co-produced with @CommonSenseEducation

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**What percentage of 11 and 12 year olds have social media?
An estimated 20% of kids between 8-12 years old, are using social media -- despite rules on most platforms that require users to be at least 13 to create an account.

** Why is the age limit for Social Media 13?
Congress passed a law called the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in 1998 due to concerns about companies or other random people online collecting information from kids--like their name, phone number--and later photos and location--without parents' knowledge. The law considered children a "vulnerable" group that should be protected from data mining.

**How does social media negatively affect youth?
Research shows that most kids start experimenting with sharing their own data online when they're 11 to 13, but don't start to understand the risks and the consequences of what they do online until they are 14 to 16. If kids are active online, they have more chances of experiencing online predators, identity theft, cyberbullying, and people accessing their personal information. Another study found that kids' brains are still developing and highly sensitive to acceptance and rejection.

**How does social media positively affect youth?
Some research shows that social media can make young teens feel more confident and less lonely and depressed. They can use social media to find support for everything from organizing around a cause to dealing with mental illness.

SOURCES

Media use and brain development during adolescence.

Declining Loneliness Among American Teenagers

How the Parkland students got so good at social media.

Why social media is not smart for middle school kids.

Developing social media literacy: how children learn to interpret risky opportunities on social network site

About KQED
KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, Radio, and web media. Funding for Above the Noise is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Silver Giving Foundation, Stuart Foundation, and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

#digitalcitizenship #CommonSenseMedia #medialiteracy

[IntrepidFraidyCat]

My son was assigned this video to watch while learning virtually due to the Covid pandemic. This presenter is one of the very best I've seen. He's very engaging and holds the kids' attention easily. This is a wonderful series of videos about social media.

[toribanori]

kids on social media up to six hours:

me: on my devices 24/7

[JohnDoe-hnnl]

No one is ready for social media. It breeds anxiety, depression, narcissism to name a few.

[ZOOTSUITBEATNICK]

What's the right age to start using social media?
imo
5 minutes after death.
imo

[cestlavegan]

I’m not sure there is an appropriate age here. Seems to me that even the wisest, most mature adults can fall victim to the detrimental aspects of social media. But then again, the average 20 year old is surely better equipped for it than the average 7 year old. This is certainly tricky but I’m gonna say age 14 is probably old enough for most kids. Of course it will vary from person to person.

[theremycrocks]

I’m almost 15 and my parents still won’t let me have social media 😒

[sIare]

I think that 12-14 is the age where maturity kicks in so i think that should be a good start age for social media.

[rayray]

The right age 15 cause you old enough not childish and know what there
Doing

[gamermapper]

I want that everyone can use social media start from 9 year old but with privacy for everyone, even if you're 13 no spying!

[smartllamas]

i turn 13 in 11 days and i get social media im so excited

[joelithink]

I am have to Watch this right now in my class Onlinelearning

[Hana-menem]

I'm 12 my parents make me have only YouTube and they check on it every now and then and they told me to use social media when I'm 16

[Username-yuz]

When I was first on social media it was 2 years ago when I was 9 now I'm 11 well next month I'm 12

[evilotto]

The 7-year-old Ryan of YouTube's Ryan ToysReview made $11 million in revenue last year from his YouTube account.

[skrdman]

I don't know what age is appropriate (though I'm inclined to say around 13-18 at the lowest), but i just think it's a shame that our youth are being indoctrinated into the world of social media before they know the risks or consequences of their actions on social media. It's a complex system that thrives on the exploitation of impulsive behaviors, which are all too common among children and teens. There are even many adults who get taken advantage of by social media platforms.

[by_tiktok]

Los que están aquí por un proyecto del colegio

[jordancohen]

reddit talks minecraft player out of doing that, yet bullies random fortnite players for playing fortnite