Social Media for Children and Teenagers 11-14: Ethical, Social and Legal Issues

This report covers the ethical, social and legal issues related to social media use in children and teenagers aged 11-14. It discusses different perspectives and arguments by stakeholders, assessment and evaluation of issues based on consideration of evidence and different perspectives, and application of professional codes of conduct and ethical principles.

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Social Media for Children and
Teenagers 11-14
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
Table of Contents
1. Ethical, Social and Legal Issues...............................................................................................................................1
2. Different Perspectives and Arguments by Stakeholders............................................................................................4
3. Assessment and Evaluation of Issues based on Consideration of Evidence, Different Perspectives............................5
4. Application of Professional Codes of Conduct and Ethical Principles.......................................................................9
References...................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
1. Ethical, Social and Legal Issues
The topic to be covered includes, Social media for children and teenagers 11-14. In
today's society, social media is regarded as a controversy topic, based on different perspectives
and real life human relationships. In the recent research, the figures collected from Ofcom related
to UK show that, nearly 52 percent of three to four year old children and 82 percent of five to
seven year old children are seen online. The research also reveals that the preschoolers became
familiar with the digital devices prior to being exposed to the books (What Do We Know About
Children And Technology?, 2019). The reports from Mintel show that technology consumption
includes tablets, smartphones, e-readers, internet-connected smart televisions, desktop, social
networking, portable games consoles, laptop and gaming (Store.mintel.com, 2016).
Figure: In UK, social media use in Children (What Do We Know About Children And
Technology?, 2019).
Relatively, the young children often land up in legal issues with respect to the disclosure
of their personal information which they post on the social media sites and breach of their
privacy. The hackers often ask for ransom amounts of money, which is illegal. As children are
unaware of the consequences of posting information on the social networking sites and in turn
makes their own pictures and other information vulnerable to be accessed by the hackers. Thus,
this topic fits well with Ethics and Social issues in Information Systems and is worth to spend
time on.
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
This report ensures to find the limits and vulnerabilities. Further, this report focuses on
the effect on society, the relevant ethical theory used to explain the effects and how the law and
professional codes can be used to control or mitigate harm.
Technology and Adolescents
Today, information systems are widely used by the organizations, including the
adolescents. Information system helps the business to automate their processes, to effectively
operate their business operations. They are being used in social media as well. These platforms
are at present used and accessed by consumers including the children. As per Winpenny,
Marteau and Nolte, the children below the age of 14 use social media like Facebook, Instagram
and twitter that in turn have adverse impacts on the way they think (Winpenny, Marteau and
Nolte 2013).
In the study by Prensky (2001), the use of social media, computer and adolescence are
considered to be interlinked, as the teenagers are hardly seen without a single social media
account and smartphone. Due to social media the adolescents can have both new opportunities as
well as various challenges. In future, technology will advance and people must adapt to it. With
the evolution of social media, the means of communication has seen drastic transformation.
People utilize social media for staying connected with their relatives/friends, to make plans and
for socializing. However, in adolescence the use of social media is a concern, as they stay online
all the time. Additionally, social media exposes the adolescents to unhealthy aspects (Prensky,
2001).
The study examined by Clayton, Leshner and Almond have shown how the extended self,
emotion, cognition, and physiology of the individual is affected if the iPhone users can’t answer
their iPhone when they are doing some cognitive tasks. As a whole, the results drive toward the
better understanding of how technology separation can have impact on the users (Clayton,
Leshner and Almond, 2015).
Social Media usage in Adolescence
Social media is utilized by the adolescents for seeking friendship and for exploring topics
which interest them. Any content which the children and teens view can have significant impact
on their development. Social media could hinder the physical development of the adolescent,
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
which might contain aspects of human body. According to Jillian Croll, adolescence is regarded
as a vulnerable time as all the physical changes takes place, which in turn can easily allow
perceptions of body to affect their self-esteem and confidence. Their emotions, perception and
physical sensations is not static. Body dissatisfaction could indicate serious health conditions
which can harm the well-being of adolescents (Croll, 2005).
Kelly and other on adolescents (14 year olds) have collected data which shows that due to
the looks of their body there are possibilities of suicidal ideation which is the result of increased
level of depressive symptoms. The social media usage is said to be connected to the mental
health of young children, as they are subjected to self-esteem, online harassment, sleep,
including poor body image. The connection between the social media usage and log depressive
symptoms were compared, where when compared to boys, the means of log depressive
symptoms was strong in girls (i.e., test for interaction, p < 0.001). Because, the girls used social
media for increased daily hours. In boys, if the daily hours of social media usage was three hours
or more then it showed higher depressive symptom (Kelly et al., 2018).
Figure: Use of Social media and the depressive symptoms
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
The Online virtual communities, niche worlds, networks and interest groups are used for
online collaboration and information-sharing. However, it is used to share the political status of
countries, for instance, Iran, and Syria. There are communities and networks who have dark
agendas to manipulate the thinking of people. The adolescence can easily fall prey to such
communities and it could impact their identity and well-being.
2. Different Perspectives and Arguments by Stakeholders
Privacy Issues
The adolescents are not aware of the privacy or data protection and related serious issues.
It is suggested that the parents deliberately act opposite to their children’s best interests which
affects the privacy or data protection of their children. For instance, the research carried out by
FOSI in the US showed that nearly nineteen percent of parents holding the social networking
accounts agreed to having posted something online which their child might find it embarrassing
in the future. Thirteen percent of parents stated that their child was already embarrassed by
something they have posted, and ten percent stated that their children asked them to remove
certain online post which relates to them.
The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) is held responsible to handle the
complaints of data protection law and encourages good practice. It will be instrumental in the
implementation of the GDPR, and UK is asked to maintain similar provisions following its
departure from the EU. But, the Children’s Media Foundation criticized it that, “Potentially
unsafe practices are unlikely to be addressed [by ICO] until any problem occurs. Whereas, some
witnesses stated that, a lot of emphasis was put on the parents. Increased coherent support was
advocated by the Parent Zone (Publications.parliament.uk, 2017).
Shareholders
In society, the children will grow up to be empowered and be confident citizens. Thus, it
becomes a shared responsibility of each individual to improvise the opportunities for children so
that they can productively utilize the internet; then improvise the digital literacy; next work on to
change the norms of data collection and privacy for a child; then to develop a design technology
which supports children along with adults; even help the adults to have clear understanding about
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
internet technologies for supporting the online experience of children; to make investment in
children’s digital resilience for decreasing the threats; to deliver all the online rights which
children can enjoy even when offline, and to keep in mind that they children and not just the end
users. However, all these responsibilities aren’t static, as it will change based on the changes in
the technology. It is crucial to establish general principles to provide a framework for the future
action (Publications.parliament.uk, 2017).
The online safety of children is a shared responsibility of educators, parents, related
stakeholders, industry, and children as well. Thus, it is essential to protect the children online and
shared responsibility will ensure effective risk management in the virtual environment, along
with the issues of internet governance and regulation for regulating the risks for children. The
consideration of practical ethics of the conflicts which occur in this context can be highly
effective when compared to just concentrating on the involved legal aspects of negligence.
In case of children, it is unreasonable to grant equal status to all the stakeholders, and
various differences exist related to capability and power to take effective safety choice. This
clearly shows that there are people with difference in opinion and perspectives.
3. Assessment and Evaluation of Issues based on Consideration of Evidence,
Different Perspectives
Shapiro and Margolin’s study showed that 73 percent or more adolescents are determined
to use social media. Basically, children between the age group of 11-18 years spent more than 11
hours a day on electronic media. Social media disrupts their physical activities and interrupts
face to face personal interactions. The social media interruption to homework and studying must
be managed to help their academic performance (Spies Shapiro and Margolin, 2013).
As per Lenhart, nearly 71 percent of teenagers hold accounts in more than one social
network site (Lenhart, 2015).
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
Figure: Statistics showing the usage of different Social media platforms by teens between
13 to 17 years old (Lenhart, 2015).
In terms of technology advancement the researchers Booker, Kelly and Sacker have
determined that social media increases sedentary behavior and solitary activities. The adolescents
are drastically engaging in social media which can cause long-term impacts on their well-being.
Their study’s finding exhibits the gender differences, where greater social media interaction at
the age of 10 was linked with the lower levels of well-being at the later ages in the females. The
other fact noticed is that the increased usage of social media during the adolescence is not
expected to decline when they enter their adulthood (Booker, Kelly and Sacker, 2018).
Additionally, according to Malcore, the adolescents are prone to develop eating disorders too
(Malcore, 2016).
Researches with respect to academic achievement and use of social media in adolescence
is less, instead the research on college students is widely available, and ethical considerations
could be the main reason for this. At an early age, the children have access to social media
platforms, which makes them ineligible to participate in the research. Wilfred Lau’s research on
the relationship between social media and academic achievement on undergraduate students in
Hong Kong via, online survey helped to determine the negative impact on the academic
performance of student. Because, the social media and internet is used by the students for
sharing, discussing and searching information, but the sites’ entertainment features distracted the
students. (Lau, 2017).
Real World Instances
Facebook has a set of rules in terms of age restriction, which is 14 years, but there are
under aged children using it.
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
Facebook’s Simon Milner has stated that the statistics show that the parents actively help
children under 13 years to set up their Facebook account and breach rules that are designed for
protecting the children’s privacy online.
As per Ofcom’s research more than 90% of parents of 5 to 15 year old children who go
online face intermediated internet access in various ways like 57% parents make use of technical
tools. FOSI have agreed that most of the parents have rules related to the technology their child
uses. As per 2015s research carried out by FOSI, in the USA showed that, nearly 75 percent
parents follow certain rules on what their child can or is not allowed to post publicly online
(Publications.parliament.uk, 2017).
Anna, who is 17 years voiced her experience about with us data protection and its law.
Earlier, when she had no idea of the data protection law, still she decided to share her and her
peers’ photographs. This in turn landed her into privacy issues (Buttarelli, 2017).
The real case of social media causing depression is presented by BBC news where, a boy
aged 16 self-harm himself and ended up in A&E. Then, Dr. Chatterjee suggested a solution of
restricting social media for an hour and in six months the results were effective for the boy’s
well-being (Wakefield, 2018).
Thus, it is necessary to make the adolescents aware and educate them about the ethical
issues and legal aspects.
Ethical Practice
The ethical issues associated to the utilization of information technology can be managed
by following a set of standard ethics. With Facebook, Twitter, email logs, and so on, there is
hardly a private social space anymore. It is essential to manage these multiple data streams, its
impulses in various media of communication. The increasing concern of the adolescences and
their well-being has emphasizes to use ethics. Ethics are particularly essential at present as the
society is rapidly changing with the latest advancement in information technology (Quinn, 2015).
The practical ethics in terms of legal responsibilities of the companies’ benefit to fill the
gap between the theory and practice, it helps to assess the concerns of people/social behaviour
and it helps to outline the political nature of making decisions, by concentrating on the authority
and the professional practices which are self-regulated like, internet governance.
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
Social Media linked with Ethical Theory and Real Life
The ethical theories help with moral decision making for safe social media use, because
these theories symbolize the perceptions from which people look for guidance, while making
decisions. The motivation or insight underlying each theory will be identified to determining
whether a specific action is right or wrong and provides “case for” and “case against” the theory.
Every single theory stresses various points like different decision rule or style of decision making
to meet the ethically right decision (Quinn, 2015) (Duquenoy, Jones and Blundell, 2008).
Ethical Principles
The following goals must be present:
 Respecting others
Accessing an individual’s PC without his/her permission. Example: hacking
 Considering others as equal; treating people fairly.
 Keeping your word; Acting honestly.
 Others’ property is respected.
 Right to privacy; right to freedom of expression
 Right of access information
 Beneficence
This principle helps to decide that the online social media safety for adolescents is right
and beneficial for children.
 Least Harm
This principle is same like beneficence. For instance, use of social media benefits to
instantly connect with the far way people.
 Respect for Autonomy
This principle states that children are not mature to understand the risks involved in social
media, and hence with a concern to the society and well-being of children, the IT
professional, Government, industry, related stakeholders and parent should have control
on children’s online access. This can help children to enjoy their social life.
 Justice
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
This principle states that the policy makers must concentrate on the fair actions. For
instance, children have all right to stay protected.
 Rights
The use of social media by adolescents harms their academic performance along with
impacting their physical activities and face to face interaction. More importantly, it lands
them in legal issues and data privacy issues. However, there are people who selfishly
exploit the new technologies for their personal gain. On the other hand, internet allows
the children to access the pornographic Web sites. Thus, internet governance is the right
of adolescents.
Ethical Theory
The European philosophical tradition based ethical theories are:
 Deontological Theories
 The IT professionals must ensure to provide dependability on the
technology they develop.
 The beneficence must be improved to provide online social media safety
for adolescents, as it is their right to privacy and right to freedom of
expression.
 Consequentialist Theories
The children have right to:
 Privacy
 Know
 Security
 Property
 Political participation
 Freedom of association.
 Freedom of expression.
 No discrimination
 Protection of cultural identity.
 Fair access to, and
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
 Development of communication resources.
According to Laing, (2017) social media is just for publicity, marketing and to make
contact with the readers. In regards to blurring of “public” and “private” implications for the
user of social media, and often their friends and associates, a multi-layered approach is adopted
for self-presentation and blurring the lines between their ‘public’ and ‘private’ identities. This
research reflects a community of limited author-reader, however it is stronger community for the
online author–author, founded based on encouragement and practical support. The publishing
industry comprises of a set of implications, as the authors believe their publishers lack the
expertise of social media. For various authors are unclear that maintaining the social media
presence can result in commercial benefit (Laing, 2017).
The social impact is the negative impact on society. Social media gives more
opportunities for deception such as creating false accounts.
In 2017, Facebook had 2.07 billion active users, monthly. But, today the internet users in
the world are 4,196,884,099, and the number is increasing drastically, every second
(Internetlivestats.com, 2019). There are challenge in regulating the social media – technically or
otherwise. It is necessary to regulate social media, because the companies like Facebook are
accountable to relate the change and tackle the issues related to fake news, sharing information
and content, permission, privacy concerns and hate speech on the platform. As the power and
influence of social media’s small platforms (for instance Facebook and Twitter) is high and it is
likely to increase. Before it hits the next scandal it is necessary to rethink on how to regulate the
online content and develop transparency around the regulation of these vital spaces to speak and
interact on the free platforms (ARTICLE 19, 2018).
All these issues, evaluation and arguments creates ethical dilemmas for the policy makers
including the other stakeholders involved in governance of internet.
4. Application of Professional Codes of Conduct and Ethical Principles
Laws and Codes can make it better
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
The policy makers and stakeholders’ ethical dilemmas in internet governance relates to
the responsibility of protecting the children who use social media.
In regards to data protection, in UK and Europe, the providers of social networks are held
responsible for security, privacy responsibilities to law enforcement agencies (responding to
requests for information). The social networks users are not allowed to use the network in a way
which could violate the laws. For instance, intellectual property, free speech and illegal content
sharing.
According to IT professionals (BCS Code of Conduct), any professional is required to
keep their personal and work life separate. There must not be any discriminations based on
sexual orientation, nationality, sex, disability, age, marital status, color, ethnic origin, race,
religion, or other condition while conducting professional activities.
The future implications of past data i.e., images and statements, have a right to be
forgotten, which comes from the new General Data Protection Regulation named, "Right to
Erasure". Data sharing and third party access have the right to give informed consent and
transparency. For data protection law of this new generation, GDPR can be the keystone, as the
new GDPR provides facility related to profiling, right to be forgotten and consent. For example,
in big data era, it tries to transpose individual control and provides a careful framework to
safeguard children’s right to data protection (Buttarelli, 2017).
Code of Ethics
The responsibility of teachers is to enable children operate in the real world, where they
are taught to network with other children in the infant school, but actually they are not taught.
Today, we live in a world where the children of all age groups seamlessly flows between
on and offline. For the 21st century children, digital technologies are considered as both present
and the future. For them to succeed, it is essential to increase the privileges and protections
which could be enjoyed offline. It will help them in defining their opportunities as both citizens
and workers. Hence, it is effectively important that these opportunities must be supported and
shaped by various stakeholders (Publications.parliament.uk, 2017).
The NCA works on controlling the child sexual exploitation and cybercrime. Further, the
UKCCIS (UK Council for Child Internet Safety) refers to a group containing greater than two
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
hundred organizations from various sectors. In 2018, by following a Government-sponsored
report of Professor Tanya Byron this Council was formed. It explains and takes action on the
topical issues related to the use of internet by children. It comprises of 5 working groups for
education, social media, evidence, technology and digital resilience. Seeing the work and
contribution of this group, Barnardo recommended to expand it with “Child internet welfare as
well as child internet safety” (Publications.parliament.uk, 2017).
The position of Children’s Commissioner was formed by law for promoting and
protecting children’s rights in England. It works with the public bodies and government for
improving the policy and practice related to the well fare of children, and to make sure that their
voice is heard.
Professional Conduct
There are people at different levels who engage in information technology. There are
people who engage in phishing and other methods to steal financial information from
organizations. The code refers to how the fundamental ethical principles can be applied to a
computing professional’s conduct. The IT professional must ensure to contribute to the society
where the well-being of the humans must be taken care and must acknowledge that all people are
stakeholders in computing. The other set of principle they need to follow includes avoid harm, be
trustworthy and honest about their qualifications, then they must be transparent to disclose the
capacities, limitations and issues in the system and avoid violation of code. They must be fair,
avoid discrimination and take action, respect the work required to develop new inventions, idea,
or creative works, by respecting privacy, computing artifacts and honoring the confidentiality
(ACM Ethics, 2018).
The possible solutions for the IT professionals is to follow the code, include software
which can protect them from junk email or spam or computer viruses. The Ethical codes and
technical tools must be followed by the IT professionals to discard issues related to privacy, and
securing the confidential information of the organization (Arthur, 2017). However, including a
cyberspace controlled organization with large firms, can ensure the governments to hope on
discarding the dark sided communities (Spinello, 2017).
In Tavan (2001) the arguments of Johnson (1994) and Gotterbarn and Rogerson (1998)
are assessed, where Johnson’s argument is found to be more complicated related to the
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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS 11-14
uniqueness of ethical issues. Thus, the in-depth evaluation shows that, as the technological
instrumentation refers to changes what the humans can possibly do. This can be related to the
drastic changes in the computer technology in recent years, which gives the assumption that the
issues considered by the computer ethicists could have changed appropriately. In some sense,
this might seem right but in other sense it don’t (Tavani, 2001).
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