Weekly News 29

Secondary school pupils 'ill-equipped to cope' with stress of social media 

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/04/secondary-school-pupils-ill-equipped-to-cope-with-stress-of-social-media

Key Data/ Statistical Info 

• Children moving from primary to secondary school are ill-equipped to deal with the onslaught of social media which takes on an increasingly important role in their lives, exposing them to significant emotional risk, a report says.
• While eight to 10-year-olds tend to use social media in a creative way, often playing games with one another, this changes when they enter secondary school with the use of platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, where children begin to chase “likes” and positive comments on their posts.
• “While social media clearly provides some great benefits to children, it is also exposing them to significant risks emotionally, particularly as they approach year 7,” Longfield said, as she published her report Life in Likes which looks at how younger children use platforms designed for older children and adults.
• The report, which is based on a number of focus group interviews with eight to 12 year olds, says that although most social media sites have an official age limit of 13, an estimated 75% of 10-to-12 year olds will have a social media account.