Our children, no matter what age, soak up everything. They are sponges that absorb their friends, celebrities, social media, television shows, and movies. For the most part, mature adults can separate the good from the bad and right from the wrong. Most importantly, adults can separate facts from opinions.
Children are not capable of this type of critical thinking. Children take opinions and solidify them as facts. Their brains naturally seek information that confirms their new beliefs, and this is the danger young minds face when using social media.
Dr. Michael Workman, Associate Professor of Technology Management at Texas A&M, conducted a study to determine if social media can change our opinions. “We found that when people are seeking new information about a topic, social media can change their minds,” Workman said. “But if they have already decided on something, say politics or religion, they mostly seek information to confirm what they already believe. If you have already made up your mind about something, then social media is not going to change it for you.” Social media will only confirm what you already believe. This phenomenon is referred to as “the echo chamber effect”.
So why is this important to parents? This research reveals that it is vital for parents to build a solid foundation of morals, values, and beliefs before allowing their children to access social media. If you do not take the time to sit down and talk to your children about the important issues in the world today, social media will form your children’s opinions without any input from you.