Instagram. Snapchat. Twitter. According to Statista, there are over 2.46 billion social media users. Even Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has an active twitter account of 54.9 million followers. Christine Ding (12) has “an Instagram and Snapchat, but…doesn’t use it often.”  With so many people using social media everyday, it is hard for today’s youth to be not included. In fact, Pew survey reports, by high school, around 94 percent of teens go online daily. Social media has taken on a crucial role in the lives of many individuals. People use social media to catch up on the latest trends, check celebrity gossip or world news, communicate with relatives abroad, and even go on dates. Still, with the introduction of a worldwide database, issues of privacy and wrong behavior has struck many users with concern. Among those concerns, there is a division of opinions on what the appropriate age for establishing a social media account should be. Some believe that social media should be restricted to ages of two digits, while others strongly believe that there shouldn’t be a age limit at all. As a high school student and an active user of the internet, the appropriate age to start social media should be within 11 to 13 years old.

Ring! Ring! It seems that the age for using social media is shrinking with each generation. Kids in middle and elementary schools are seen sporting the latest Iphone X or taking selfies through Snapchat filters. To some, social media is too dangerous for kids to be using. From cyber bullying to child predators, it is true that the internet isn’t a safe place. As PBS put it, “cyberbullying is especially prevalent in middle school aged kids (9-14).” Not to mention, 30 percent of those cyber bullying reports are caused by social media apps. As for child predators, acts of pedophilia, exhibitionism, and voyeurism are increasing with the expansion of the internet. Innocent kids are easy targets when it comes to experienced sex predators. Shockingly, 75 percent of children, according to PureSight, are willing to share personal information with strangers from the internet. Even though the internet is an unhealthy place for adolescents, it has also become a necessary part of society.

As of now, social media is a major outlet for teens and tweens. Because so many people have at least one social media account, without it, students will feel left out. Not just at school, but it also gives younger generations the platform to network with people around the globe. By sharing cultures through the touch the touch of a button, social media can be a positive educational resource. Plus, it is important to note, that even schools are adapting to the gradual modern technology society. Teachers, even at Yorba Linda High School, uses apps such as Remind and Instagram to reach their students.

Although social media impose threats to our younger generation, because of the internet obsessed society today, owning at least one social media account is inevitable.