The Forum for Dialogue published the report “The Impact of Social Media on Children”

The Dijalog Forum for Development and Human Rights Foundation published its report entitled “The impact of social media on children and the violation of their rights” which deals with the negative impact of social media on children and the violation of their rights by exploiting them in videos on social networks.

The report emphasized that the use of social media as a contemporary social and cultural phenomenon has resulted in a number of positive and negative effects in the educational, social, psychological and health fields, and with regard to the content created by users on social networks for children. as content that causes controversy and concern, whether from parents or education professionals who fear that children are influenced by what they see, which reflects on their behavior, morals and habits and takes over their upbringing and upbringing.

The report discussed this topic through several axes represented by the definition of social networks, and by clarifying the negative educational, educational, social, psychological and health effects of their use on the child, and by studying the violation of children’s rights. their exploitation on social media channels by their families, and the psychological and social effect that results from this exploitation on the child. Children, presenting some examples of the exploitation of children on social media channels by their families, clarifying the role of the state in protecting the rights of children and giving some recommendation.

The report emphasized that the danger of social media lies when it is not properly invested in the educational field. The use of social media by students and teachers in the educational process is very low despite the availability of infrastructure with all teachers and most students, and this fully reflects that both teachers and students use social media to interact with others and for purposes other than education.

Also, the excessive use of social networks harms children and their sensitive personalities, because they suffer today on all levels, socially, mentally, physically and emotionally, so that famous people on social networks today control the identity, values ​​and health of an entire generation, and the impact of this on their mental health shows more than any other aspect.

He also referred to the most prominent negative effects resulting from the use of social networks by children, such as: excessive use, excessive entertainment and weakening of creativity, disturbing and disrupting sleep, spreading rumors and unrealistic views of the lives of others, inciting hatred and violence and incitement to crime and illegal activities. Lack of interaction with family, their isolation from society and immersion in their virtual world, and thus lead to numerous mental illnesses, among which are: social withdrawal and complex mixing with others, along with lack of self-confidence, ease of appearance deceives and shyness from self-expression.

The report also showed that the phenomenon of children being exploited by their families to make a profit through YouTube and social media is a major problem in Egyptian society, as many of them have sought to ride the trend and look for a quick buck, as social networking sites have recently been witnesses of many parents who try to deprive themselves of their feelings Parenting and exploiting and slandering their children by posting videos of situations from their daily lives that violate children’s privacy in funny places and others that seek sympathy from viewers.

He also highlighted some examples of families exploiting children on social networks in order to make a profit:
In conclusion, the report made the following recommendations:

1- Delaying the possession of modern mobile phones by children as much as possible and setting agreed conditions in consultation with them that limit isolation and involvement in the atmosphere of these sites.
2- Finding alternatives for attractive, recreational and volunteer activities for adolescents and children within the family.
3- Parents must teach their children what is right and what is wrong, supervise and direct them to exploit this technology by calling for good, and avoid exploiting them in content on social networks to gain profit and fame under the pretext of their talent and violation of childhood rights.

4- Helping children learn how to keep personal information private, especially from strangers, because some people are not who they say they are.

5- Remind the children that what happens online stays online and is difficult to delete (messages, photos, video).

6- Teach children to always respect the personal information of friends and family and not to share information about others that could cause them embarrassment or harm.

7- Pay attention to signs of distress in the child, such as: withdrawal, irritation or obsession with activities on the Internet.
8- Set time limits for working with these assets and encourage the child to play in the real world.
9- Do not use technology as a means of pressure, reward or blackmail.
10- Teach children polite behavior and good behavior in various situations, especially on social networks where some social and political issues can be raised.

For his part, Saeed Abdel Hafez, chairman of the Forum for Dialogue, called for the protection of our children from the dangers of social media and the need to educate parents about these dangers through the media. This harms future generations and the interests of our children.

Zainab Saleh Salem, a researcher at the Dialogue Forum Foundation, emphasized the need for parents to avoid exploiting the innocence of their children and turning them into commodities in order to gain money and fame, and this phenomenon must be intervened and stopped because it causes a gross violation of the right to innocent childhood that it children must have. live in this period of their lives.