Social Media can be a useful tool to connect with family and friends.
It’s an invitation for others to see what’s going on our lives. It’s also a means used to connect with the world. For businesses, it’s a great marketing tool that allows others to connect with other businesses.
Ministries and outreach organizations offer resources and services that help people. There are many social media apps to choose from and devices to use to make this an efficient and viable tool to use for business and services.
What is social media?
Social media is a phenomenon for engagement and influence.
Pictures, videos, and some comments offer hope, happiness, and laughter. People are amusing! You find yourself spending a lot of time revisiting people’s profiles that are funny or engaging.
Social media attracts our youth to participate and ignites their curiosity and eagerness to explore. As adults, our youth enjoy engaging with social media and it’s participants known as “friends.”
Unfortunately, some “visitors” appear to have other intentions and need to be shown the exit.
There are those who negatively target and impact the behavior of our youth through social media, but there is a way to prevent it. Parents, please get to know who’s entering your home through your child’s phone.
A person without good intentions seems to want to know everything about you. Yet, doesn’t want you to know anything about them. Introduce yourself to every friend, know their names, and pick up your child’s phone to see if their being targeted.
Pro’s and Con’s of social media
On April 3, 2023, I presented “Think before you hit send.” I pointed out the pro’s and con’s of social media and why it’s important to know who your child is texting or setting up a “meet and greet” when you’re not home.
In some of the videos I showed, kids were in communication with a target for days before they decided to meet their “new friend.” If the parent had looked at their child’s phone the “meeting” or “bullying” perhaps could’ve been prevented.
I believe together a lot can change and the perpetrator that preys on kids can be stopped. Please don’t think the perpetrator is “always” a stranger, it can be someone your child believes to be a friend.
There is data that shows there are over 2 billion active users on many social media platforms.
This makes marketing on social media a win-win. Social media posts to connect and gain influence on social media drive profit, growth, and visibility for the business.
A child doesn’t see market growth, but visibility and influence precipitated by the need to be popular among classmates and friends. Achieving celebrity status at school among friends or becoming a gamer mogul is a highly sought-after prize.
This idolized idealistic reality lures children into believing they can be one of them. Therefore, social media addiction resonates within their mind and causes them to believe what they see can be achieved. They strive to be like others and when they fail, they become depressed or isolate themselves because their self-esteem or confidence is shattered. They must understand not everything on social media is “REAL.” You can help with that, through family time.
Speak with them and explain what’s going on. Trust me, someone or something will have their attention. Stay connected and involved to know who that person is and their intentions. Contact your cellular carrier and see if they can help.
