YOUR SON AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Introduction

• More exposure in the 21st Century.

• Television and internet has opened the world to children.

• Information Technology (IT) more present in people’s daily lives.• Smart phones, tablets, mobile

devices, computers, play stations and the internet are all easily accessible.• Transformation of the digital world

into a necessity.

• Audio-visual aids versus traditional aids in teaching.• This exposure brings with it

advantages and disadvantages.• Online communication can never

replace personal ‘offline’ communication; it can only add to it.

• The world of work is transformed; new possibilities opened up through the use of technology.

• Professional activity via email, video and teleconferencing.

• A head start in IT gives the children a competitive advantage.

• The question is how to manage it.

• Youth is a time in which great ideals are discovered and awakened, a time for seeking meaning of life in all its greatness and beauty.

• It often happens, however, that the world around us weakens this aspiration by putting before us pleasures, compensations and artificial promises of paradise which curtail the heart and hinder the young from being generous towards God and towards others.

• A consumer society that pressures people into harmful and superficial entertainment.• Absentee parents seeking

compensation for their children.

• “Young people are always capable of getting enthusiastic about great undertakings, high ideals, and anything that is genuine.” St. Josemaria Escriva.

Types of Social Media

What is a social network?

• Wikipedia: A social network is a platform to build relations among people who share similar interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections.

Most popular social networks:• Facebook – 1.28 billion• Twitter – 645 million• Qzone – 480 million• Habbo – 268 million• LinkedIn – 200million• Instagram – 150 million• Hi5 – 80 million

• An instant messaging application for smart phones.• Has 800 million subscribers.• Uses the internet to send text

messages, images, videos, user location and audio media messages.

• Guidance needed as the children move in the digital world; it is an environment requiring human virtues.• It is not a matter of rules or a list of

criteria; a matter of sound judgment; consistency in all environments, even virtual ones.

1. Changes at school2. Video Games3. Medications for ADHD4. Endocrine Disruptors

1.Sexual identity2.The cyberbubble3.Obsessions4.Environmental toxins

CHALLENGES EMERGING:

• Cyber-bullying: ganging up; puncturing self-esteem; invasion of privacy.• Peer pressure: anything to belong to

group; stealing; defiance; rebellion.• False identities: exaggerated

perception of self & family for praise.

CHALLENGES EMERGING:

• Sharing of inappropriate content: jokes; videos; pictures; anecdotes.• Incitement: against teachers,

parents, classmates, etc. This undermines relationships.• Inattention during lessons and study.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

• Lead by example. How much time do you spend on the phone, especially during family time?• Avoid demonising: distinction

between evil and use for evil.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

• The phone is a privilege for the child and not a right.• Keep him short of money.• Avoid blaming others for challenges

being faced.

• Be open to discussion on these topics.-What is the appropriate age for him to have a smart phone?-What is the meaning of the coded

language that they use?

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

• Explain to the boys various groups that we belong to and the benefits of belonging to them.• Share interesting videos and

anecdotes that we have received.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

IDENTITY:

• Sim-card registered under your name. You have a right to inspect it.• Ask for the phone. Look at content of

messages, groups belonged to, etc.• Registration on WhatsApp groups;

Facebook; Instagram, etc.

IDENTITY

• Showing themselves as they truly and habitually act.• One’s personal activity in the digital

world should be a reflection of one’s own identity. {Litigation…}

IDENTITY

• Everything done online is never completely private.• Alterations or copies can be made,

and one never knows who will read it or when: possibly even years later!

• Restricting the use of the internet to certain parts of the house, e.g. the sitting room.–Do not have unrestricted internet

access/wifi in the house. Switching it off at night.–Find ways of periodically checking

what they view.–Use filters on computers used.

• Exposure to good ways of using leisure time, e.g. sports, good movies, reading, social work, farming, etc.• Acquisition of a sense of

responsibility and commitment in the tasks entrusted to them. • Keep the mobile phone during

weekdays.

• Fostering order in what should be done at each moment: study, work, etc.• Importance of concentrated study

done with a professional approach.• Ground rules regarding use of

electronic gadgets during family gatherings: meals and get-togethers.

• Fostering interior quiet in a digital age:–The virtue of temperance–Value of study–Protecting times of silence