Children and young people’s use of digital technologies

The report analyses the different kinds of disadvantages and advantages of usage of social media on the youths and children. It identifies the different age groups and legal restrictions that have to be adopted by the different websites in restricting the usage of the same by the children. The report also discusses the types of technologies or platforms used in case studies and restrictions on children for usage of social media websites.

Running head: DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
Digital Communication
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Executive Summary
The report has helped in analysing the different kinds of disadvantages and advantages of
usage of the social media on the youths and children in the present scenario. The main aim
and purpose of the report helps in analysis of the different age groups along with different
privacy regulations that has to be adopted by the different websites in restricting the usage of
the same by the children.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Overview of Digital Technologies.............................................................................................3
Age Group..............................................................................................................................4
Legal Restrictions or Policies relevant for Children or Young Generation...............................5
Types of Technologies or Platforms used in Case Study.......................................................6
Restrictions on Children for Usage of Social Media Websites..................................................6
Rise of digital technologies transformed cultures of youth or childhood..................................7
Reflective Experience as a Youth on usage of Social Media.....................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

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Topic 4- Children and young people’s use of digital technologies
Introduction
The report helps in analysis of the effect of the digital technologies among the young
people and children. The ethical and methodological challenges have to be identified on
analysis of the effect of the usage of the digital technologies by the children or the entire
young generation. Furthermore, the focus has to be kept on a specific age group that will help
in analysing the different kind of legal restrictions that has to be adopted to this kind of
children or the young people. The analysis of the kind of platforms or technologies has to be
identified that will be discussed in the respective case study.
Overview of Digital Technologies
In the present scenario, the social media networks and sites are developing at a great
and huge pace and this is being used by different individuals in various parts of the world as
well. Furthermore, it has been noticed that the usage of the social media or the digital
technologies that includes the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram along with WhatsApp has
become very popular among the young generation and there are different individuals who do
not have control on themselves and they are being addicted to social media as well.
Furthermore, it has been noticed that in many colleges along with universities, the
students are carrying their cell phones and they are surfing Facebook along with other social
networking sites and not attending the class. Newman, (2017) has commented that the high
usage of internet and digital technologies are linked with high amount of risks as well.
Furthermore, Lamberton & Stephen, (2016) has commented that nearly two third of the
students used social media networking sites while completing their homework and in class
they could not able to answer the simple questions and this led to huge negative marking in
their different subjects as well.

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Age Group
The main age group that has been focused in the particular report is that majority of
the Americans uses the social media networking sites and it has been seen that more than
68% of the young generation who are form the age group of 10-15 years uses the maximum
social networking sites (Lamberton & Stephen, 2016). Furthermore, it has been noticed that
more than 55% of the young generation has used Facebook and YouTube and these two
networking sites have dominated the landscape.
On the other hand, the children between the age of 18-24 uses the Snapchat and there
have been different reports that these children visit the platform multiple times in a day and
they are being very much addicted towards the same as well. Similarly, more than 71% of the
Americans in the respective age group use Instagram and there are close to 45% of the
children uses Twitter as well. In the year 2016, it was a major concern for the Americans that
Facebook is the major concern and more than 59% of the young generations uses such
platforms and networking sites on a daily basis as well.

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Legal Restrictions or Policies relevant for Children or Young Generation
There are different kind of legal restrictions or policies that has to be adopted by the
government or the other higher officials for the Children or Young generation in order to
limit the usage of the different social networking sites (Gerbaudo & Treré,2015). It has been
noticed that the minimum age for opening or creating Facebook account or account on
Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest is 13. Furthermore, the age of the children requires to be 17
while opening accounts on Tinder and Vine. On the other hand, YouTube requires to be 18
years old, however a 12-year-old child can create account on the basis of parent’s permission
(Roth et al., 2016).
However, despite all these there are different kinds of growing number of children
who are below the age of 12 and they are using the social network sites and this has caused
major issues in the past as well. In such circumstances, there are different legal restrictions or
the sections that are required to be followed or there will be huge trouble for the children as
well as the police authority can take legal actions against them and this can be destructive for
their future as well (Munar & Jacobsen, 2014).
The most important legal liabilities and obligations of social networking websites are
Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and Section 230 of Communications
Decency Act. Both these sections are equally essential and important to be followed by the
children who are below 12 years of age (Ngai, Tao & Moon, 2015). While surfing the
internet by any such children below 12 years of age and there is no such permission granted
from parents as well, in such circumstances there will be huge issues as the children can be
arrested when there will be violation of the laws and this can lead to imprisonment of 2 years
along with a fine of up to $200 as well.

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Types of Technologies or Platforms used in Case Study
The different social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tinder,
Vine along with WhatsApp are the different kind of technologies or social platforms that are
being considered in the respective case study (Sarker et al., 2015). Furthermore, it has been
noticed that there are more than 59% of the young children or the young crowd who uses
such websites along with YouTube and they uses it against the permission from their parents
or anyone older. Furthermore, it has been noticed that the privacy rights are damaged as the
young generation find it as fun and they do not follow the rules and regulations that are
required to be followed and adhered by them (Scherman, Arriagada & Valenzuela, 2015).
Restrictions on Children for Usage of Social Media Websites
There should be proper and accurate restrictions on the young generation or the
children who uses the social media networks. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA) that was passed in the year 1988 helps in analysing the protection of the children
under age group 13 and this act helps in inquiring that all the operators of the different
websites along with online services has to provide notice and obtain the permission from the
parents of the children before collecting any such kind of personal information.
However, there has been different kind of instances wherein it has been noticed that
the children falsify their ages and they open and create different social networking site
accounts. In such circumstances, the protection that is being offered by the Act is not safe and
the information is at risk as well (Greenwood, Perrin & Duggan, 2016). In America, it has
been noticed that Facebook remains the most widely utilised platform of social media and
this has hampered the entire education of the children and this has caused negative impact on
them as well (Houston et al., 2015).

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From the below diagram, it can be analysed that there are different kind of
disadvantages of usage of social media and this has affected the entire life or career of the
children as well. Furthermore, there have been different reports of suicides or other killing of
individuals due to the different affairs or the kind of chats that are done by the individuals on
such networking sites.
Rise of digital technologies transformed cultures of youth or childhood
With the rise of the digital technologies, this has tried to transform the cultures of
youth or the childhood of individuals. It can be analysed and identified that there are different
advantages and disadvantages of usage of social media (Boulianne, 2015). It has been noticed
that there are different kinds of educational learning gained by the children that are essential
for their studies. However, on the other hand it has been noticed that the students are always
on their mobile phones or MacBook to view their profile on Snapchat or Facebook (Tiago &

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Veríssimo, 2014). From the previous section, it has been identified that the percentage of
disadvantages of usage of social media has been more in comparison to the advantages and
there should be different restrictions implemented on the same as well.
Reflective Experience as a Youth on usage of Social Media
After analysis of the different implications on usage of social media, it can be
analysed that there are both positive and negative aspects of usage of social media on the
young generation. When I was a kid of 12 years, I was in my school days, I noticed that all
my friends had different accounts on social media networking sites. I felt that I am only one
who did not have such accounts and was excited to do the same as well. Furthermore, I
opened account on Facebook secretly and my parents were not aware of the same as well. I
tried to make many friends and posted my different pictures.
However, one fine morning, my mother came to know about the respective fact and
the reaction was unexpectable. She did not scold me, although she made me understood that
there is a specific age for everything and when I will be in my high school I can open account
in social networking site, however being very careful of the same. On that respective day, I
tried to understand that I was too young to get into all such stuffs and I deleted the account as
well from Facebook.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that social media networks or the digital technologies
has different kind of privacy regulations and rules that has to be followed by the children
below 12 years of age and this will help them in maintaining the different rules effectively.
Furthermore, it was noticed that there are merits and demerits of the social media networking
sites on the children and this created huge impact on the children as well.

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References
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research. Information, Communication & Society, 18(5), 524-538.
Gerbaudo, P., & Treré, E. (2015). In search of the ‘we’of social media activism: introduction
to the special issue on social media and protest identities.
Greenwood, S., Perrin, A., & Duggan, M. (2016). Social media update 2016. Pew Research
Center, 11, 83.
Houston, J. B., Hawthorne, J., Perreault, M. F., Park, E. H., Goldstein Hode, M., Halliwell,
M. R., ... & Griffith, S. A. (2015). Social media and disasters: a functional framework
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Lamberton, C., & Stephen, A. T. (2016). A thematic exploration of digital, social media, and
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Newman, T. P. (2017). Tracking the release of IPCC AR5 on Twitter: Users, comments, and
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Ngai, E. W., Tao, S. S., & Moon, K. K. (2015). Social media research: Theories, constructs,
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Management, 35(1), 33-44.

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Roth, P. L., Bobko, P., Van Iddekinge, C. H., & Thatcher, J. B. (2016). Social media in
employee-selection-related decisions: A research agenda for uncharted
territory. Journal of Management, 42(1), 269-298.
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