The Effect of Internet, Social Media and Electronic Games

Introduction

Since the beginning of humanity, people have felt obligated to have identities that help in elevating them in society. Identity is crucial to an individual’s formation because it plays a significant role from birth to end of life, which is expressing the person’s personality traits. It also reflects on other aspects of a person, including civilization, culture, language and belief, and thus adds to one’s privacy. Identity further contributes to one’s personality by contributing to building communication bridges between all people in differing communities or within societies. If well developed, it propels an individual towards getting along others regardless of thoughts, culture and language, or other field differences. However, this outcome is dependent on various factors that influence the construction of an individual’s identity, and they include school, friends and family, social media and the internet, and other activities. In the recent times, the internet has played a significant role in the development of children’s identity because they use digital technology rapidly (Wood, Bukowski, and Lis, 2021). As a result, many scholars question the negative and positive effects of usage in regard to the time spent on activities that are digitally mediated. Digital technology, mainly social media, the internet and electronic games, has positive influence on children because it allows access to education resources, entertainment and connection with peers. Unfortunately, issues such as cyberbullying and access to content with age restrictions cause negative effects that affect children’s identity development. The internet, social media and electronic games may shape a child’s identity positively or negatively depending on various factors such as time used, content accessed and parental guidance, among others. 

Usage of the internet, Social Media, and Electronic Games among Children

Increased production of high-technology gadgets such as computers, smartphones and tablets over the last two decades has amplified the usage of the internet, social media platforms and electronic games. The users are people of all ages, including children and adolescents. Children between five and ten years use home computers for school work, and hence surf the web since the internet has the capability to provide educational information, making it a huge home library (Bolton, R., Parasuraman, A., Hoefnagels, 2021). As they look for academic information, they may also socialize online and play games, whereas those aged three or four are more interested in watching videos on the internet, especially through platforms such as YouTube (Auxier, Anderson and Perrin, 2020). These preadolescents stay socially connected through various sites of networking such as Facebook since they allow access to information that their friends post. Such information includes photos and videos that remain visible to users even if they are not online during posting time. Therefore, children as young as those in nursery school know how to use the internet and could spend multiple hours socializing online or playing electronic games. As a result, these components have acquired importance as various entities conclude that they help with sociability and entertainment, and creativity and self-expression, which further influences their school progress and results positively (Islam, Biswas, & Khanam, 2020). For instance, electronic gaming requires consistent concentration and quick actions, and so may assist children in developing numerous skills such as coordination, decision-making and smart-thinking. However, there are some detrimental effects that arise from constant usage of the internet, social media and electronic games, such as behavioural issues due to depression, anxiety and low self-esteem, sleeping disorders due to decreased sleeping time and attention problems. Gradually, children experiencing these challenges perform poorly in academics. Excessive usage of the internet and electronic gaming causes such problems because it is addictive and eventually leads to children’s daily lives functional impairment. Therefore, it is important for parents to understand detailed effects of social media and general internet usage, and electronic gaming on children’s identity development. 

Effect of the Internet on the Child’s Identity

Many children identify the internet as a vital part of their daily lives and culture since it has the potential to offer advantages. Such benefits of internet usage include entertainment, access to limitless information that assists with homework and research, and ability to communicate with friends and teachers through e-mail and video linkage (Malamud, Cueto, Cristia et.al., 2019). It enhances communication and social contact as it helps children develop independence and emotional connection with people across the world. As preadolescents interact with friends on the internet they feel less lonely because they maintain existing friendships and foster new ones with others that they cannot meet daily. Additionally, online conversations through instant messaging provide children an outlet when they are distressed. Preadolescents express themselves through photos, which benefits those that are yet to develop communication skills or are not confident enough. Such visual communication is known to boost daily intimacy, especially between children that once communicated face-to-face but got separated by immense distance. However, the internet also has some risks that eventually affect children’s identities as they develop. As they surf the internet for academic information, and to socialize or entertainment themselves, there are no editorial standards, which limits the credibility of the internet as a source of positive or helpful outcomes. The multiple hours spent sitting in front of computer begin affecting the children’s postural development and could cause obesity since it fosters inactivity. It also leads to addictive behaviour and undeveloped social skills because the internet interferes with normal socialization between the children and family members, and peers. Children suffering from seizure disorders may experience more negative effects due to attacks that are triggered by flickering of computer screens.

As the children continually trust all information accessed on the internet they may become victims of misinformation because they are less likely to monitor the accuracy or appropriateness of information. The internet is known to foster inappropriate ideas such as encouraging consumption of unhealthy food stuff, which causes temptation to acquire parents’ credit cards without permission to purchase. It also causes adverse effects on children’s values when they access pornographic sites and plagiarise school work (University of Birmingham, 2016). Since the internet hosts predators that engage children through unsupervised e-mails and chat rooms it exposes them to cyberbullying, which leads to depression, anxiety, behavioural problems such as violence and disorders. Troubled children, especially victims of depression or victimization, are emotionally and socially vulnerable and hence become excessively dependent on the internet to form closer online relationships. As such preadolescents graduate into the adolescent stage their susceptibility to peer pressure continues increasing and they develop less self-regulation. Additionally, if children continually access websites that promote violence and hatred towards specific crowds such as ethnic and religious groups, women and homosexuals, they may develop negativity towards such people. Therefore, the internet is positively and negatively influential on children as they begin experiencing rapid changes emotionally, socially and physically. 

Emotional Impact of the Internet

The internet enables children to dissociate from any stressful environment, but could also cause negative emotional effects if it takes priority in their lives. Children are likely to develop internet dependence that leads them into narcissistic behaviour, whereby they disconnect from their feelings and thoughts, as well as those of others. As such dependence increases it destroys their conversation skills and positive interactions, making them less sensitive and compassionate to peers, family members, and others. This outcome means that the internet has a negative impact on emotional intelligence, which is necessary for children to develop healthier relationships and adapt positively to changes. The more time preadolescents spend on the internet the less they devote to their own feelings and thoughts, which undermines self-awareness (McDool, Powell, Roberts, et.al., 2020). The multiple social media platforms keep these children in a self-alienation state that prevents them from making thoughtful choices. Estrangement from their emotional selves causes them to be less reflective and more reactive. Social media also weakens self-regulation because it lowers tolerance for frustrations and increases impulsivity. When children fail to develop the ability to regulate themselves, they become emotionally immature. Consequently, most may still harbour childhood behaviours such as angry outbursts and bullying as they grow (Diomidous, Chardalias, Magita, et.al., 2016). Without sustained attention, drive and high tolerance levels of frustration or stress, preadolescents may suffer from depression and anxiety because they cannot handle the real world and people. Therefore, most children that use the internet excessively lack social skills, motivation and empathy, as well as self-regulation and awareness due to emotional health problems. 

How Parents Should Balance Internet Usage

With parents’ guidance and effective control children can use the internet responsibility, develop desirable identities and evade the negative effects mentioned earlier. Various problems such as internet addiction and emotional issues among children that value the web and social media arise because usage occurs without adult supervision and so it is important for parents to be aware of their children’s activities online and exert control (Badri, Alnuaimi, Al Rashedi, et al., 2017). However, parents should apply a level of balance to ensure that their children do not miss out on the internet’s benefits. Adults should not feel overwhelmed or outsmarted by preadolescents’ internet and computer abilities because such negative perspective could prevent them from appreciating the medium as a new literacy component, which is essential for children’s fluency. Instead, they should avoid confusion or inadequacy feelings so that they can discover the importance of the internet as well. The monitoring process, which eradicates children’s exposure to ineffective elements causing negative and desirable influence, could be challenging. Adults are required to review the software and devices that preadolescents use at home or other environments. However, this approach is overwhelming because they must use multiple perspectives to review the technology elements in use. Nevertheless, parents could also immerse themselves in this beneficial medium and access multiple resources offering help on child protection while online. As a result, they could learn and unmask the dangers of preadolescents indulging online, and thus gain wisdom on how to protect their children. 

The most important aspects of protection against effects of the internet, social media and electronic games are understanding what, where and how preadolescents learn during the planned exploration through digital devices. According to Scollan and Gallagher (2016), the PEEP assessment model is the most reliable way to achieve these significant components. This model focusses on four areas through comprehensive questions, which cover provision and environment, as well as engagement and protection. It is applicable when parents want to determine how various internet components can assist their children in developing digital skills that have positive effects on their development emotionally, socially and personally. It is also crucial at identifying challenges that arise later as the proposed digital interactions proceed. Therefore, the PEEP model is reliable since it aims at provoking reflection of reactions, actions and communication, children’s physical movement during digital use and emotional literacy. 

As parents use any of the above mentioned approaches to balance how children use the internet, its related components and electronic games, they should consider their ages and privacy. They can begin by exploring the internet components and media with the preadolescents and discussing their educational value. Three and four year old children should learn the most suitable videos to watch on platforms such as YouTube, whereas those between five and eleven years understand the most productive ways to use social media. Such learning and understanding requires talking about certain specific topics of social media use. Some of the important details to address include: the most appropriate ways to treat others online, and what treatment to accept or reject; the risks involved and how to navigate them, and the best reactions to strangers that seek personal details and bullies that are abusive and mean online. All adults in the family should engage in this process and encourage children to analyse and criticize the internet contents, by helping them differentiate reality from fantasy especially on violence, advertising and sexual matters. Parents should exert rules such as prohibiting usage of computers and video game equipment in children’s bedrooms. Caregivers should maintain these internet usage rules in the absence of the parents. Consequently, they should create a central location that have common passwords and access. There should be time limitations such as one to two hours per day to avoid over indulgence, which also means creation of other productive ways to spend time with family members. The adults should create entertainment and learning schedules for the younger children since they are still dependent on others. On the other hand, they should allow the older preadolescents to make choices and plan in advance. However, parents must supervise such choices and explain where they are not suitable as well as congratulate and praise where due. It is also important that adults make their own decisions wisely as well to be good role models. Therefore, parents play a significant role in children’s identity and emotional intelligence development as they strive to foster thoughtful attentiveness and mindfulness. 

Social Media’s Effect on Cultures across Countries

Any society is known to acquire laws, beliefs, knowledge morals and various habits and capabilities, making culture a complex whole. As a result, multiple societies around the world have different norms, values and traditions that make them unique. When people from these entities need to interact, they must apply various common methods of communication considering that languages differ as well. One of such methods is social media, a product of the convergence of globalization and new media, which makes the world a smaller interactive field. Social media facilitates learning of different experiences, sharing of knowledge and interacting of people regardless of distance, and hence succeeds at connecting people across time and space. As this medium of communication allows persons to find like-minded populations, it promotes interdependence and interconnectedness of the world despite it being culturally diverse (Combi, 2016). One of the best outcomes is increase in the levels of intercultural adaptation among persons living in new communities, who experience different cultures. As internet users increase, this media for social interaction becomes more popular in people’s daily routines and activities because it provides a linking way through attitudes and behaviour, which creates a sense of belonging that exceeds their local communities. Therefore, social media supports the connection of people’s opinions, traditions and diversity globally without time and distance restrictions. 

Children, especially those approaching the adolescent stage, are among people that overcome geographical borders through social media and hence experience its effects on cultures. This medium allows children from different places and cultures to share similar meanings as they indulge in interactive dialogues indicating diverse points of view (Zaw, 2018). Social media provides different networks for such communication, including Instagram, Twitter, and MySpace, alongside Facebook and YouTube. Intercultural communication among children through these platforms prevents them from being individualistic and hence are compassionate to one another regardless of race, and ethnic backgrounds, among other differences. Such benefits help children to develop positive attitudes towards other cultures and age mates from other continents and nations. They develop desirable identities that can guide their studies and attitudes towards different kind of people later in life. However, intercultural communication through social media may have negative effects on the upbringing and identities of some preadolescents, especially those from minority groups that have experienced discrimination in the past. Such groups include African Americans and American Indians and Asians, among others. Whereas most children use social media to discover more about others in their age groups, some may use the platforms to bully children from minority groups. Consequently, the victims may feel unwanted in their nations as well as others’, which affects their upbringing and identity development negatively. Social media brings cultures closer and may make children open-minded. However, some may be more disadvantaged than others, making their identity development different based on interactions online. 

Personal Experience

As a parent, social media has enabled me to connect with other mothers and fathers, acquire support and advice, interact with family and friends and find suitable playing grounds for my children. However, I have also experienced some disadvantages such as comparing my children’s lives to others that I view on social networking sites such as YouTube. I would like my children to adopt great values and so whenever I find some with morals, I feel pressured to do better parenting. Many parents have similar experiences, which means that the internet also influences their roles in the development of children’s identities. Since all children are unique, it is important for parents to guide them individually as they develop identities. They should avoid social media comparison because it is not only toxic, but also discourages authenticity and encourages imitation (Charoensukmongkol, 2018). Guardians can avoid such negative influences by minimizing social media time, which also enables them to be good role models. Minimal usage of networking sites requires setting boundaries about the suitable hours to access them, discarding home screen notifications and leaving toxic groups that propel negative reactions. Focusing on the most important matters, such as spending quality time with family, is also a great strategy to overcome the need to compare children. This process involves discovering priorities, which include the children’s health, their talents, and how to create meaningful experiences for the family. After discovery, one should create a realistic to-do while considering other factors such as finances, and then make a schedule to take action. The point of pursuing these actions is to not only spend less time on social media platforms, but also for parents to discover unique traits in their children. It provides an opportunity to connect and create unbreakable bonds. Parents should also get realistic about social media when they see other mothers and fathers posting pictures or photos of their children. They should understand that such content should not trigger negativity, but rather instil lessons that would be beneficial. 

Conclusion

Emotional development begins in early childhood and progresses as the child grows, which makes this period critical. Exposure to the internet and media for social interactions influences how identity develops due to the effects of digital content and lifestyle on the child’s emotions and thoughts. Social media sites and other informational websites affect how they interact with others, especially across multiple cultures, whereas electronic games influences their creativity and decision making processes. With parental guidance, children can use the internet and its components responsibly and within reasonable time. Parents can also learn that comparing their children with others causes more harm than good.

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