How social media, cyberbullies, and the dark web are traumatizing our kids

Certified Social Media Intelligence Expert Dr. Steve Webb, author of Education in a Violent World shares his knowledge about how social media is affecting our kids today.

Each day, millions of children go online to view and interact with friends, fans, and strangers. But the anything-goes nature of the internet puts kids at risk on sites like Tik Tok,  Facebook, Twitter, Omegle, 4chan, and 8chan, where predators find victims and where harassers threaten and bully the vulnerable. Online interactions can manifest into physical violence and other forms of harm.

Most parents believe that as long as their children are at home, quietly typing on their computers and smartphones, that they are safe and content 

But a leading social media authority says these stay-at-home kids, quietly surfing social media sites, are neither safe nor content in fact, many are in psychological and emotional turmoil.

Though their behavior may appear normal, our children are being exposed to 24/7 cyber-traumafrom their continual connection to CYBERBULLIES, SOCIAL MEDIA, and visits to the DARK WEB, says Certified Social Media Intelligence Expert Dr. Steve Webb, author of the Amazon best-selling book Education in a Violent World.

CYBERBULLIES & CYBERTRAUMA

The CDC now designates suicide as the 2^nd leading cause of death among children. The high ranking reflects the fact that most kids are not able to get away from the CYBER-BULLIES prowling online and the CYBER-TRAUMA these bullies generate. 

How can we identify whether our children are experiencing this trauma when they’re at home, being really quiet on their electronic devices? asks Dr. Webb.

Our 21^st Century Kids don’t communicate verbally as well as kids used to because they’re accustomed to doing it through technology. And because they are not complaining about their situation with their parents, their parents think they’re doing good, when in fact, the kids are involved in a world that is continually traumatizing them.

STRESSFUL INTERACTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Kids are addicted to using their social platforms the entire day to give and receive information, and to establish themselves in society.

With one comment a child can become famous on Instagram or Snapchat or other popular apps. Students must bear the 24/7 stress of maintaining and improving their online image while dreaming up ways to increase their following. Defending against derogatory comments or accusations on apps like Twitter can be stressful and time-consuming.

VISITS TO THE DARK WEB

What happens when the content available on the Internet no longer shocks the senses? When that happens, to continue the high, humans up-the-ante and take things to another level. That’s why kids are logging onto the Dark Web, an encrypted network of websites unable to be seen or regulated by law enforcement where access to anything and everything is possible, from drugs and prostitution to child trafficking, murder-for-hire, and worse. Here the lowest, most grotesque human behavior is modeled — adversely influencing a child’s psychology, sense of morality, and behavior. 

Everybody is looking forward to sending their kids back to school, but everyone must understand that these kids are going to behave differently after this much time off, says Dr. Webb. And with the always-online speed-of-light the digital world of instant information and instant gratification these kids now live in, there will be portions of the curriculum and daily schedule that will be boring and that is going to lead to BEHAVIOR ISSUES.

We don’t want the process of going back-to-school to escalate into dangerous behavior or suicide.