Social Media Affecting Children

Obesity is affecting children all over the world and people are at a disagreeance whether or not media will continue hindering kids, or begin helping them get on a healthier path. Social media platforms and other types of visual media are all being viewed/used by hundreds of millions of children daily, and showing them how they should and should not be living their lives. Some believe social networks or apps can breathe life into exercise regimes, diet, and overall well-being. Others think that media is leading to inactivity, bad eating habits, and lack of sleep. Whether it be good or bad, media is without a doubt one of the strongest influences on the newer generations.
An article published by the American Heart Association has brought to …show more content…
Many children have access to electronics through the form of televisions, smartphones, tablets, and computers all of which are easier to focus on if someone is sitting down, still, void of movement. Since the majority of kids group together with whom they share interests with, it is plausible that if they were viewing posts about their peers exercising, eating healthy, and achieving successful weight loss goals, that they too would be motivated to jump on the fitness train. Unfortunately that is not always the case, and this time spent browsing the internet is time spent ignoring what they are doing to their own …show more content…
It is quite possible that if there were an application like Facebook or Twitter, or even facets within those sites that focused on one’s physical well-being, that young people would become more health conscious and concerned about their weight. Saying that media influences children is an understatement by far. Media is how young people choose to communicate and keep up with the outside world. Whether through news media, social media, or other types, kids are receiving their information almost solely through technology. While increased amounts of screen time are considered one of the rising leading causes to childhood obesity; smartphones, computers, and televisions are not going away any time soon. And perhaps this is where the idea for a health conscious social media platform comes from. If children and teens see their peers indulging in foods that are good for the body and exercising, instead of seeing them discuss a new show/celebrity/fad diet, they would make healthier choices that led to increased weight loss. A new exercise tracking and food logging app may in turn benefit those who have unhealthy habits by making them more aware of the bad things they are doing towards their bodies, leading to a decrease in their potential obesity-causing lifestyle choices. On the other hand a new app could be just like the rest, the latest time consuming obsession that takes away from the time a child could be