Social media has grabbed attention and dedication of post-millennial and millennial generation to a great extent. The younger children are found to spend more than nine hours a day using social networking sites.
While the social media platforms enable users to get introduced with the world, they also possess several dangers for younger social media users. From cyberbullying to online child predation, there are innumerable potential risks associated with unsupervised and uncontrolled use of social networks.
In this article we have particularly discussed the dangers of Tumblr and Instagram for kids and teenagers. Also, we have shared here the most feasible ways to protect children from these social media dangers.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a micro-blogging site that allows users to post and share text, photos, videos, audios, links and stuff of their choice. This is among the most popular social networking sites having a great number of users worldwide.
The network is popular among teen girls and boys who love taking photos and uploading them right away on the internet. Another reason of the popularity of this network is absence of content filtration.
The platform allows posting content that is not allowed to post on other social media sites. It hosts rebellious content and content promoting self-harm activities among teenagers.
Instagram is a popular photo and video sharing platform letting users to post and share media content. Whatever you post on your profile also appears on the newsfeed of your online friends who can make comments and react on these posts.
The platform is the biggest platform for bullying and body-shaming which hosts humiliating and harassing comments on photos and videos.
Tumblr & Instagram Dangers for Kids & Teens
Like other social media platforms, Tumblr and Instagram hold risks of online bullying, online child molestation, sexting, cat-fishing and many other online crimes.
Online Bullying
The use of social media platforms and other electronic means to frequently harass, offend, humiliate or threaten someone is known as cyberbullying. Instagram is being used by bullies to send threatening messages and make humiliating comments on posts of the target.
Cat-Fishing
The cat-fishers are those social media users who have fake or bogus identities. They provide inaccurate information to deceive the target for monetary gain or any other purpose. Most of them are scammers, child predators and sex offenders who target younger social media users.
Online Child Molestation
The online child predators are adult social media users who trap teens and tweens for sexual purpose. They use social media platforms to exchange sexually explicit content with the target to lure and convince them to produce such material.
Adult-Oriented Content
Most of the content available on Tumblr and Instagram is adult-oriented. There is no way to filter information because of which many underage children expose to objectionable age-inappropriate content.
Protect Kids from Tumblr & Instagram Dangers
The most effective way to protect children from the dangers of the social media is to supervise their use of dangerous social networking platforms. Parents must know what sort of content their kids post and share on Tumblr and Instagram.
They can use social media monitoring app to track use of social networking and communication apps installed on their kids’ phones. Moreover, parents must educate their children about the negative side of the social media platforms to help them learn use these networks responsibly and securely.