Social Media Dangers Documentary — Childhood 2.0

[Igneous40]

I've watched 100s if not 1000s of documentaries down the years on so many subjects but I don't think many have made such an instant impact on me as this one which I've just finished watching.

Michael B-C,

I watched this documentary 2 weeks ago and it made such an instant impact on me too. I was floored because, like you, I thought I knew, I thought that the pieces I have been observing gave me a sense of things but, my word... I clearly had no idea!!!
This Doco stayed with me, the facts were just mind blowing to me...

It doesn't go into the agenda side of this monster (though its implicit) but in a way that makes it more powerful - rather concentrating methodically on impact and the human values at stake.

Yes! the human values at stake was what hit me hard when I watched it. Thank you for this Doco, it has helped me immensely as I fall in the category of those who 'care about the why and the how we are where we are (even before COVID) you should watch this.'

After pondering the details of the documentary, my mind then started asking some questions about why and how we are where we are... I shall list a few answers below :

Home computer became common during the 1980's.
The Patriot Act : Was passed 45 days after 9/11. I feel that this had to be in place before we got some toys like mobile phones with internet connectivity.
Facebook was launched on Feb 4 2004
The first-generation iPhone was announced on January 9 2007
In December 2007, 190 3G networks were operating in 40 Countries and lead to widespread demand for mobile internet connectivity.
4G network came onto the scene around 2011/2012 - giving mobile ultra-broadband (gigabit speed) access.

Thanks again! @Michael B-C.

 

[Mari]

Thank you very much Michael for sharing this video!!!!

 

[Mililea]

Hi, I am grateful that you shared this documentary. Everyone knows that it can be dangerous on the internet. But I really didn't realise how bad it can and does affect children. What normality such a life is for them. You are really naive as parents. My daughter is already 18 years old and I think I guided her quite well when she had her first mobile and the first apps. I made her aware of dangers that I could see. But I think I also brought her up overall to think critically and to think for herself at all. Unfortunately, this is not always usual, as parents often try to do everything for their children out of fear and to protect them from everything. Which in my opinion can be very harmful for the children.
This documentation should be viewed by all parents. Thanks for sharing.

 

[NOONE]

thank you for sharing, it's very interesting and very scary...

 

[KTC]

I watched this with my 11 year old son last night and it brought up some important conversations and pointed out some very real consequences if the digital age.

We had a discussion about pornography which of course started out a little bit uncomfortable but it was actually perfect timing because my son has indeed seen some graphic photos on his friends iPad - no surprises but it’s one of those ‘my kid wouldn’t do that’ moments that I had to face. He hasn’t seen any videos but I guess it’s just a matter of time so we had a deep discussion on what pornography is, how damaging it is psychologically for the people involved and how sad and empty the people who take part in it must be. We talked about women and sometimes men being forced into sexual experiences because they need the money and the shame it must bring them.
We spoke about the difference between what he might see online compared to how men and women should really be treated in a loving relationship and how gentle and delicate love is for the giver and the receiver. My son is fortunate that he lives in a loving environment and my husband and I have a fun, loving relationship so we talked about that and he compared it to some of the arguing he sees at his friends houses and how sad it is to be in that environment.

one thing that really stood out is the change in the daily activities of youth nowadays. We live rural near a beach and even here kids are indoors on screens. We don’t have iPads although my husband and son play video games together and I know that it is definitely a way that my son socialises with his peers. I am adverse to gaming and really struggle not to put a sledgehammer through the television screen but it is a delicate balance of managing screen time and not ostracising my child from his peers. It seems we already spend the least amount of time on screens than any of his friends and when they come to stay we have a no screen policy so any iPads and phones go in a special drawer and are returned when the child leaves. My son has actually lost contact with ‘friends’ who don’t want to come here because of our policy so I am learning to bend instead of break and now we allow the visitors to play a video game together once the sun goes down but I will not allow children to be on seperate devices (which is a thing) and instead they have to be on the same game on the tv together so it’s atleast a community experience instead of just parallel play. It’s quite ridiculous the amount of energy that goes into managing technology so that your child isn’t expelled from the friend groups!

What I found most interesting was the question of ‘do you wish you didn’t have it’ and most of the youth on the program said yes, they would be more fulfilled if internet and social media wasn’t a thing.

managing this digital stuff is stressful for everyone it seems. Some throw their hands up in the air, some embrace it and some have no idea what is going on but we are all navigating a new way of doing things and I agree that our actions speak volumes.

I think this is an important documentary for parents and their children to watch together to start having these discussions. I probably wouldn’t have watched it w my son before this age though due to some of the sensitive content.

 

[Harmony99]

I recently listened to this podcast featuring Johnathan Haidt promoting his new book titled;

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81N4drWaxuL._AC_UY327_FMwebp_QL65_.jpg

He discussed some of the challenges we are currently facing due to the negative impact of allowing GEN Z Kids 16 and under so much time on social media. We are now seeing the radical change in the behaviour of kids in their late teens. Some have very little desire to work or play. Their level on social interaction has plummeted to unprecedented levels when compared to a few decades ago. The on -line schooling during the Covid Plandemic has increase the lack of critical thinking in teens.

I have not yet read the book but the interview provide a good overview of what’s in it.