Social Networks free essay sample

Also according to Lenhart and Madden, â€Å"Adults are much less likely than teens to have a profile on a social network website. About three in ten (35%) adult internet users age 18 and older have a profile on a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn†(2007). How ever, teenagers are twice as likely as adults in use of these websites. Some others use it because they do not have friends in real life and they wish to make new but somehow they are afraid, and they can write anything they want to say without any fear by using social networks. Social networking technology does affect negatively on people as it causes family problems, it can be dangerous for people and it can change behavior for the worse. Social networking causes many family problems that can affect relations. As a fact, family relations are sensitive and small problems can turn to big issues if they didn’t find the right solutions for them. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Networks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These networks take the happy moments that people can spend with family, because children prefer to sit with their computers than family, so it makes distance between the family members. Children prefer to hide their emotions and problems from their own family to tell a stranger about it and it makes them trust strangers not relatives. Why does this happen? Social networking is turning to be the best choice for children and adults to spend time. It could be nothing more than they want some independence from their parents and freedom from parents involved. Some children want to say things to their friends who are the same age and they feel they understand them more than parents. Families are suffering with the problems websites are causing. For example, two girls committed suicide because some abuse on social networks and because of pictures that were spread on Internet from these websites. These stories was in a news website that talked about two girls one committed suicide because of sexting, and the other one because of some abuse on social networks from her friends (ABC News). Other problems we can mention are teenagers got addicted to these social networks and that is a sign of behavior changing negatively. These problems for sure increase with time and affect people who use social networks and every one who is around them. The reasons why these problems are huge is because social networks never stops producing new things that attract teens and adults and encourage them to use them more and more. Adults and teenagers invite their friends and tell them to join these networks, as they are fun. Parents are aware about these problems and of course they are trying their best to find solutions for them. Some research happened to show the opinion of parents who have children with social network profiles, â€Å"Research by YouGov showed a quarter of children aged six to 11 spend an hour a day on social networking such as Facebook and Twitter. But only one-in-10 uses the Internet daily for homework†. Extra parents of older children were distressed concerning their offspring’s grades skidding as a consequence of online distractions (mirror news, 2011). This research shows that parents are really aware and worried about social networks and the negative effects of them on their children, and supports the negative side of using social networks. These social networks can be dangerous and harmful. Teens and adults, who do not care about what will happen, they are not aware of the danger that these etworks can make, are using social networks. â€Å"Though the user’s privacy settings determine whether they can be contacted by strangers or friends, many youth may not realize or use these privacy settings, thus exposing them to online predators† (Wolak, et al, 2007). There are lots of social networks, and people from many different countries use them to find new friends and make online relations. The fact is that, in social networks teens meet wrong people who use them in wrong way. These meetings can also lead to a real life meeting and outing and here the danger increases. Teens who decide to meet new people from Internet and bring them to their real life, may not tell their parents about it, and here the problem takes a wrong direction in many cases. Basically, in social networks teens and adults are more likely to meet these wrong people and believe them. Some people pretend to be friend then divulging personal information and then they can enter others profile, they maybe send messages to other people about anything they that will damage their computers. These fraud people can send viruses using others name and spread it on Internet. Fake identities are also a big problem happens in this social networking world. Some make fake identities to get attention and it is not a problem usually, problem begins when they spread wrong information about this person that harms someone else. â€Å"Their motives could just be to have a little nameless fun but they are extra probable to be sinister, like instituting phony friendships that lead to face-to-face meetings alongside who-knows-what aftermath, or to drift invitations to mature sites†(scam Busters Organization). They can make advertisements about a famous brand and take money from people and fool them and some may believe. Teens can be fooled quickly because some of them believe everything they see, especially when they put advertisement with pictures and colors that attract teenagers and adults the most. Social networking has many negative effects on teens and adults that lead to big problems. Social networks make people change their behavior. Nowadays, children use social networks more than anything else. Dr. Gallagher believes that â€Å"young teenagers and preteens are the most vulnerable to negative consequences of social media†(2011). Teens and adults change their behavior when they feel that social networking is more important than real life relations. Parents object on their children when they use social networks all day, which leads to put anger in teens and adults so they miss behave with their parents. Even parents may not know how to react and they start shouting on their children, it can also be one of the causes of changing behavior in adults and teenagers. Children turn to be abusers and they got that violent behavior with others. As Ryan (august 26,2011) has noted, â€Å"Teens who use social networking sites are three times as likely to drink alcohol, and five times more likely to smoke tobacco than teens who dont frequent the sites. † When other people post pictures like smoking and having drugs, that effect on children who use these networks and get excited to try this even if they never tried it before. This is a big issue and a reason that makes children change to the worst. They do not respect elders anymore as Socrates pointed out â€Å"  they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise† (2011). Kids are producing up amid a marine of electronic media. It is vital for parents to ponder how this could encounter communal existence, progress, academics, and adjustment, and how parents can assist as a buffer from a little of the possible negative aftermath( Daiz, Y. , Evans, L. , Gallagher,R). Social networks change behavior to worst because teens like their new life and personality on these networks than the real one. People around teens and adults who use social networks can be affected. For example, children can ignore Parents as they find new friends online. These friends share the same age and think the same, so children in this age do not like their parents interfere in what they are doing. Here when children change their behavior and it becomes more violent and disrespectable for people around them. Using social networks more and more can make children lose interest in studies and that is a one face of changing behavior. According to a recent poll, 22% of teenagers log on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day†(council on Communications and Media). These research shows that adults and teens who use social networks more than 10 times a day, they will not have a good focus on their studies. That can cause damage to their marks in school. It will lead to their parent anger and will affect on teens and make them feel upset, and also it can cause behavior changing. Som e people may argue that social networks are good to use and they have positive things like connecting with people. They connect people and also give some skills to teenagers in their growing age. They support their argument by saying that â€Å"Talking on a social networking site may also bring a teen’s personality to the forefront, while the focus on a disability lessens â€Å"(Holmquist. J 2007). Some one also might argue that becoming cozy alongside communal networking locations might additionally assistance teens change to a globe that is intentions extra and extra alongside convoluted technologies (2007). They also say â€Å"Middle and high school students are using social media to connect with one another on homework and group projects†(Schurgin. G, Clarke. K). One seeming benefit is that youth can increase their circle of friends and even converse extra frequently alongside spread relations (Holmquist. J 2007). They could maybe show that social networks can be good enough for children to use and make them more interesting to go in and see what they are is. All that may be true; however, we must consider the harm that all these social networks cause and realize how much greater the harm is than their positive effects. Networks can connect people together and strong the relations but not for adults and children, because they are still go to school and can see their friends and connect with them in real life. It is better to talk face to face rather than facing a computer screen without knowing their emotions. Also bulling is a big problem happens on social networks as â€Å"Some research has shown that youth with disabilities are at a greater risk of being bullied, and bullying can also occur on social networking sites†(Holmquist. J 2007). In conclusion, social networking has both sides of negative and positive effects that can be good or harmful for children. Parents should be aware of these social networking activities that their children do and put limits on using it. It will surly reduce the effects of social networks on them. Parents also can take help from some child study centers like NYU child study center that could be useful for them, they will have more idea about social networking and how they work. Parents can also join their children in using these networks by being friendly with them, so children will feel more confortable talking to their mother and father. Networks can be good and bad, it depends on how we want to use it and make it more interesting or make it more scary and harmful. References Mirror News ( 9 may,2011), Parents fear social networking sites are affecting their childrens school grades.. Retrieved from http://www. mirror. co. uk/ Celizic, M. (2009). Her teen committed suicide over ‘sexting’ . Retrieved from http://today. snbc. msn. com/id/29546030/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/her-teen-committed-suicide-over-sexting/#. T8OOPbBo0Ug Goldman, R. (2010, March 29). Teens indicted after allegedly taunting girl who hanged herself. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews. go. com Marquette,S. (2011), How kids fool their parents on social networks. NBC News. Retrieved from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/ McLoughlin, C. amp; Burgess, J. (2009). Texting, sex ting and social networking among Australian youth and the need for cyber safety education. Australian Association for Research in Education International Education Research Conference 2009 Canberra. Retrieved from AARE, website http://www. aare. edu. au/09pap/mcl091427. pdf Wolak, J. , Mitchell, K. J. , Finkelhor, D. (2007). Does online harassment constitute bullying? An exploration of online harassment by known peers and online-only contacts. Journal of Adolescent Health 41: S51-S58. Daiz, Y. , Evans, L. , Gallagher,R. Anti-Social Networking: how do texting and social media affect our children?. Retrieved from http://www. aboutourkids. org/ Holmquist, J. (n. d. ). Social Networking Sites: Consider the Benefits, Concerns for Your Teenager . Retrieved from University Of Minnesota website: http://ici. umn. edu/ Schurgin. G, Clarke. K, The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Retrieved from http://pediatrics. aappublications. org/ Scam Busters Organization. (n. d. ). the 5 Most Common Social Networking Scams. Retrieved from http://www. scambusters. org/socialnetworking. html