The Good, The Bad, and The Viral: How Social Media Trends Affect Our Children

Perhaps there must have been days when your child was already scrolling through endless TikTok videos or practicing the latest Instagram dance trend. Love it or hate it, the truth is—social media has deeply impacted every kid’s life. Did you know, as per a survey, children aged 8-12 spend an average of 5.5 hours daily on screens, most of it on social media?

However, despite the opportunities it offers, there are also several risks that cannot be ignored.

Read below this article to explore the good, the bad, and the downright viral when it comes to social media trends and how it may impact your kids.

If you think social media is merely a distraction, it's probably not! If used right, it can be a virtual playground for kids where they can share, learn, and grow.

Platforms such as YouTube help encourage kids to create videos, try fun experiments, and pick up some new hobbies, which ultimately helps improve problem-solving and storytelling skills in kids.

Many kids even make like-minded friends through same-interest groups and pages on social media platforms. Whether it's coding, art, or dance, social media actually helps people feel connected to global communities.

There are endless accounts sharing tutorials, book recommendations, and learning hacks—great as traditional alternatives.

Beyond the filters, it's not always sunshine when it comes to the real world. Instead, it brings endless insecurities and mental health concerns to the table.

As an outcome, kids often start comparing themselves to the perfect version of others they see online. This ultimately led to anxiety, low self-esteem, and body image issues.

Unfortunately, bullying isn't just restricted to the school gates. Nowadays, hateful comments and public shaming can happen anytime 24/7, which leads to depression and poor self-esteem.

According to another study, teens who spend more time on social media are at higher risk of depression and loneliness.

The reality is—social media is a place where trends are born. While some are pure fun, others can be downright dangerous, especially for kids. The good trends, such as the Kindness Challenge, encourage kids to perform acts of kindness, spreading positivity online and offline. On the other hand, there are also the ones that harm. The dangerous challenges, such as the Tide Pod Challenge and Benadryl Challenge, have surprisingly even led to severe injuries and even deaths among teens.

The fact is—social media is here to stay. Thus, staying away from the risks is more about how to use it in a right way. Therefore, it's extremely important to understand and be aware of the good, the bad, and the viral downsides of using social media. With proper guidance, parents can actually help their kids use social media in positive ways without falling into its negative traps.