In our society, social media has become the most frequent pastime for children. Social media has given children the opportunity to have instant social interactions with numerous people from all parts of the world. As technology improves and changes within the social media sites, it is important to note the possible negative effects of social media usage as a child. One of those potential effects in children could demonstrate as underdeveloped social skills. As human begins social skills are vital for everyday interactions with family, friends, professionals, etc. Although social media does have certain benefits, it is essential to understand its harmful consequences if children do not have the basic building blocks of communication skills. For this reason, parents should limit their children’s use of social media during mealtime to ensure that their children develop adequate social skills.
Children do not have an understanding of what social skills are nor when to use them. Richards found (2018), “ Meal time is an opportunity for your children learn what types of communication are appropriate at certain times”. This initial contact about communication can help lead the pathway for developing appropriate verbal and non-verbal social skills. Corroborating this, Lawson (2003) stated that parents do play a serious role in teaching their children about social skills. Also, that having the parent play a direct role through playtime, mealtime, and modeling the social skills then the children can practice their new skills. Parents will have to encourage the children to use those social skills during other social interactions.
Social interaction through social media has become the primary way for people to communicate with one another. In previous generation people took the opportunity to communicate with people through face-to-face interactions. Since the recent changes in technology through social media people find instant communication to be ideal (Gapsiso & Wilson, 2015). According to Sampathiro (2016), “In the last two decades, advances in information technologies have substantially altered the way humans interact between email, texting, social networking, instant messaging, and Skype, people now have the resources that would make them possible to spend days or months without coming into face-to-face with another person, yet still remain connected with the world” (Sampathiro, p. 57). Although this kind of instant communication has been incorporated into individual lives at younger and younger age since the changes of technology. As a result of introducing social media to younger children impairs their abilities to develop the basic social skills that they would normally gather during face-to-face interactions early on.
Zelsdorf found (2014) that, “ Social skills involve a collection of verbal communication techniques and non-verbal actions or activities (e.g. listening, greeting others, conversing, etc.) used to interact and connect with others (Dereli, 2009; Samanci, 2010)” (Zelsdorf, p. 2-3). The development of social skills does not come instantly to children, which requires them to learn and practice from face-to-face interactions. With continued social interactions it will enhance the child’s ability to develop those necessary building blocks for communication and lead that child to be a knowledgeable adult. Social skills will be required of any adult to interact with others during their professional life and daily interactions with people. For example, a study states that employers are not pleased with the low interpersonal communication skills when applying for that job, which creates a need for this requirement (Sampathirao, 2016).
As in many studies, the use of social media has created a space that offers communication with other people that they normally would not interact with and create an opportunity for people to feel connected to one another along with discovering other people with common interests (Wheeldon, n.d.). According to Zelsdorf (2014) noted that, “ Social media as a key communication mediator has the potential to enhanced individual well-being by improving social support, increasing the probability of having fulfilling relationships, reinforcing commitments to social norms (e.g., social skills), and generating an enhance sense of meaning and connectedness is life (Seepersad, 2004)”.
Although social media has brought about many benefits for communication, parents should limit their children on social media during social interactions to help enforce the necessary building blocks for social skills. Most often, parents will have to make a drastic change about social media usage during mealtime and implement new rules. A solution for the parents is to have all members of the family place their cell phones and/or any other messaging applications in the other room before mealtime. This will eliminate the possibility of someone looking at their phone during mealtime and create an opportunity for social interactions. Initially this will be difficult to start if the members of the family are no longer children and/or the children are unwilling to cooperate.
If parents opposed this solution of removing the cell phone or other messaging application from the mealtime location than the parents could have everyone turn off their cell phones and place them in the center of the table. Another solution could be that all members sit at the table before starting mealtime and answer the message then process to turn the cell phones off. The final solution for the parents only is to download an application that controls every member of the family phone so you can manually turn off their ability to use any form of social media or texting. These three other solutions could beneficial for individual members of the family that will not take part in the group rule about mealtime social interaction.
Although the initial solution gives each member of the family the control over their own cell phone and/or messaging application. This solution allows for opportunity to communicate that they are completing their message and placing the phone in the other room for mealtime. Also, this includes the parents removing their devices from the situation and modeling what is an appropriate social skill for mealtime. By demonstrating this small gesture in front of children will help educate what is appropriate during future social interactions with family, friends, professionals, and etc.
Social media is a significant part of all stages of life but children are the ones being hindered most from its usage at an early age. Excessive amount of time on social media as children will limit their ability to grow on their social skills. Social interaction among children is key to helping create those beginning blocks for communication and promoting success for them in the future. As parents also play an important role in this journey to ensure that their children access all the necessary opportunities they can provide during modeling.
If parents do not take the time to model the appropriate social skills to show the importance of the development communication skills to their children, then the cycle will continue of poor social skills. The importance of social skills need to be developed from the beginning with children at times such as mealtime, which demonstrate to the children how important connecting during those times is. Also, the children will clearly see their parents interact with one another through their life so that will help build those necessary social skills as well. It is very important that parents play an active role with helping their children develop good communication skills.
As the technology world continues to grow and developing we need to understand the importance of connecting through face-to-face interaction. It proves endless opportunities to have the ability to use social skills in all stages of life. Although there are benefits of having technology, the issues of less communication should be a concern for all individuals. Since technology will continue to grow into more homes, school, and other facilities it should remind an important factor to parents, teachers, and others that communication skills should be taught to young children from the beginning.