Tween Times: Is Social Media Ruining Social Skills?

Photo Reference- Discovery Girls Inc.

I think we all know the answer to this question! With all of the iPods/mp3 players, tablets, cell phones, etc. out there, how can anyone really efficiently communicate anymore?

Recently there was a study by Stanford University that was conducted with the help of Discovery Girls’ readers about Study Says Media Multi-tasking May Hurt Girls’ Social Skills.  Without getting off into statistics, the study basically revealed that The girls' answers showed that multitasking and spending many hours watching videos and using online communication were statistically associated with a series of negative experiences: Feeling less social success, Not feeling normal, Having more friends whom parents perceive as bad influences (3,461 Discovery Girls’ readers ages 8 to 12 were surveyed).

Surprised?? Probably not! I've seen it first hand where kids can be right in front of each other and instead of talking, they are texting! It's so easy for them to hide behind a phone or computer and let their fingers do the talking for them.  Then, when they get into social settings, they don't adequately know how to interact with each other... things can get a little "ackward".

"Kids in the 8-to-12-year-old range who communicate face-to-face very frequently show much better social and emotional development, even if they're using a great deal of media," says Dr. Nass from the Stanford study.

With appropriate moderation and supervision, as parents, we can help prevent this from happening. While it may be easy to turn your tweens loose to let them play on their electronic devices (eg. phone, tablets, etc.), we must understand that it takes a balance between face-to-face social interactions as well as technological interactions, to aid in the development of a true "social butterfly".

What do you think? How do you maintain a balance with all of the social media outlets available to your kids?

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