Social Media Use by Minors, Teens and Youths Benefits of children and adolescents using social media

Socialization and Communication

Enhanced Learning Opportunities

Accessing Health Information

Risks of youth using social media

Cyberbullying and Online Harassment

Sexting

Facebook Depression

Privacy Concerns and Digital footprint

Influence of advertisements on buying

Legal Ramifications

On 'Too Young': Mixed Messages from Parents and the Law

Putting concerns over sexting into context -- the 'sexualization' of culture

Role of Monitoring of Cell Phone Use and Capable Guardians

Role of other professionals -- e.g. Pediatricians

Research Methods and Statistics: Impact of Teenage Sexting on Children and Its Consequences

Literature review

Defining Sexting

To date, not one state in the country has legally defined sexting. The closest thing many states have come to prohibiting the same, are legislations against the sharing of nude / semi-nude photos of minors via cellphones. The word sexting is a combination of the words sex and texting. It is usually interpreted to mean the sharing of sex-related material, to sexually arouse the recipient. The majority of the studies done on sexting focused on the prevalence of the trend among youths. The fact that these studies had varied sampling methods and definitions of what constitutes sexting resulted in broad variations in results / findings (Martinez-Prather & Vandiver, 2014).

CosmoGirl.com and the National Campaign did one of the pioneer studies on the issue of sexting to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in 2008. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sexting behaviors among teenagers and youths. The researchers in this study defined sexting as the act of posting or sharing nude / semi-nude images and/or videos. The utilization of a broad definition such as the one utilized by the researchers in this 2008 research has serious research implications. One implication is that it could result in the distortion of facts or the exaggeration of findings. For example, one of the main concerns that researchers and policymakers have about sexting is the prevalence of the trend among minors and sexting does constitute child pornography. Many people have the perception that there is a lot of sexting in minors. However, Mitchell et al. (2012) argues that sexting among minors is rare and that the sharing of images cannot be legally defined as child pornography as indicated by media reports and several current studies on the issue.

There is a need for determination of what constitutes sexting. Simply defining sexting based on content that meets definitions of child pornography does not fully capture the impact of the trend among minors and youths, when they share content that does not constitute child pornography. For instance, there is the case of fourteen-year-old Angie Verona, who posted provocative photos of herself in lingerie and a bathing suit, only for her photobucket account to be hacked and the images shared on different porn websites (Martinez-Prather & Vandiver, 2014). Even though the photos were not pornographic, the fact that they were shared on porn sites resulted in other negative consequences for the victim (emotional and psychological trauma). Coming up with a definition of sexting that captures all contexts, that might result in negative consequences for the victims, would help in better understanding this risky behavior and in the development of better prevention strategies.

1.2. Social media use by minors, teens and youths

Routine use of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram has been found to improve technical, communication and social skills among minors and teenagers. Sites such as Facebook and Snapchat offer youths and teens day-to-day opportunities to connect with classmates, friends, and other people with whom they have common interests. In the last few years, the number of minors and teenagers using social media platforms has increased significantly. A study conducted recently shows that about twenty-two percent of teenagers sign into at least one social media sites not less than ten times a day and more than fifty percent of adolescents sign in at least once per day. The increase in the use of social media has been attributed, partly to the increased number of teenagers who own smartphones (at least seventy-five percent) (Hinduja & Patchin, 2007). Thus, it can be argued that the majority of youths are growing up both socially and emotionally on the internet.

However, despite the many benefits that minors and youths gain from the routine use of social media sites, they also face huge risks as they express themselves or share content on these sites. This is because various reasons such as low self-regulation capacity and peer pressure. Several studies have shown that along with good behaviors, many offline negative behaviors such as sexual experimentation, clique-forming and bullying...

Other negative behaviors that have manifested by the overuse of social media platforms include sleep deprivation and internet addiction (Christakis & Moreno, 2009).
The role of protecting a child against negative influences is the responsibility of the child's parents. Though many parents have improved significantly in their understanding and use of technology, they still face difficulties in relating to their teens in the use of internet resources. This is because of several reasons. For instance, many parents do not understand the new modes of socialization brought about by the likes of Facebook and Snapchat; this is despite these two platforms being integral to the social lives of many adolescents. Many parents also do not have the time or the technical capabilities required to keep up with the constantly changing social media landscape (O'Keefe, Clarke-Pearson & Council on Communications and Media, 2011). In such cases where parents cannot keep up with their children in the technological world, the outcome is a disconnect that prevents the parents from monitoring or protecting their children from the ill-effects of the online world.

1.3. Benefits of children and adolescents using social media

1.3.1. Socialization and Communication

There are many benefits for children, teenagers, and youths in the routine use of social media. For example, young people can not only keep up with the latest news, they can also make new friends, stay connected and share content with others via social media platforms. Social media platforms also offer young people deeper benefits (O'Keefe et al., 2011):

1. Providing platforms for interaction with other community members through volunteering or raising money for community initiatives

2. Enhancing creativity through the sharing creative works and contents

3. Providing a platform for the growth of business ideas

a. Enhancing one's social networks by providing a platform for connection with others who share similar interests

b. Expanding one's worldview: through knowledge of different cultures, tendencies, issues, and world affairs

4. Enhancing one's personal identity and social skills

1.3.2. Enhanced Learning Opportunities

Students in various high schools across the country and abroad have formed groups to learn and share ideas on projects and assignments. Some schools have also come up with blogs to share extra content with their students. Learning through such social media platforms and blogs has been reported by students to be more fun and thus increase retention of learned content (O'Keefe et al., 2011).

1.3.3. Accessing Health Information

Teens all over the world are finding it more convenient to access health information online. There are many authoritative health sites online that adolescents can log onto to get information on depression, STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and/or ways of reducing stress. Youths, with different conditions, can also join many social media groups that to share ideas on how to cope. Such online support networks have been reported to: reduce missed appointments; increase the understanding of diseases; and bring enhance dosage adherence (Krishna, Boren & Balas, 2009). Teenagers can also get advice from medical professionals via social media networks. Despite the many positive aspects of accessing health information online, teenagers are also vulnerable to, and exposed to incorrect information on social media sites. Thus, there is a need for parents to monitor closely their wards' activities, or to caution their children about the possibility of detrimental effects.

1.4. Risks of youth using social media

The use of social media platforms poses such a huge risk to minors and youths than many parents realize. The majority of the risks that young people face in the online world can be classified as follows: privacy concerns; inappropriate images, texts or videos; harassment; and negative influence by advertisers or radical groups.

1.4.1. Cyberbullying and Online Harassment

The term cyberbullying can be defined as the intentional use of any form of digital media to send hostile, embarrassing or false information about another individual. Many researchers argue that cyberbullying is the most common risk faced by teenagers in the online world.

Even though the term "online harassment" is often interpreted to mean cyberbullying, the two terms do not have the same meaning. According to researchers Hinduja and Patchin (2007), online harassment occurs less frequently compared to physical harassment. The two researchers further argue that logging on to social media sites does expose teenagers to online harassment. Cyberbullying is much more common compared to online harassment and it can take place any time a teenager logs onto a social media site. Various studies have documented how teenagers suffer from varying psychosocial effects of cyberbullying such as isolation, anxiety, depression,…