Discussions with a panel of young people from across the country highlighted that social media pressure was a significant issue facing teenagers in Ireland today. Here is what they had to say about the topic!
The lines between the online and the offline world are becoming more blurred - what happens online is often just an extension of what is happening offline. While social media and the internet can sometimes be painted in a bad light, the reality is that it provides many positive opportunities. It’s a way of connecting with others, to share memories, to be creative and to learn, and gives people a voice to highlight social issues and affect positive change. It may sometimes appear like a highlights reel, but it can be good to have a platform to share the positive things happening in your life! But as in the offline world, it has its ups and downs. We can strike the balance, by embracing the positives of social media and the internet, and disregarding the negatives.
Social media is a fantastic way to connect and share with others. One of the great things about social media is we can decide what photos, posts, videos we share and as a result, many of us present an idealistic version of ourselves. It’s a great way of sharing parts of our lives with others - posting images and captions that we want others to see. But we are less likely to share the parts we don’t want others to see, or possibly think they wouldn’t be interested in. While social media has many benefits, it can be a place where we feel pressure to live up to certain standards, or which can instil self-doubt when we see images or the lifestyles of others.
Social media is a great place to connect with others and to share parts of our lives, see into other people’s worlds, and is a fantastic platform to raise awareness about important issues. On the other hand though, it can add pressure by portraying an idealised version of normal life. Our newsfeeds often contain images of people looking great, wearing nice clothes, and doing exciting things. Living their best lives!
Have you noticed that when you go online or login to social media you are presented with content, news, articles or ads that somehow know the things that you are interested in? It makes sense that you will see updates from people or organisations that you follow, but what may be less obvious are the algorithms (complex mathematical formulas) working in the background which determine what content is presented in your newsfeed or search results. Platforms such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok all have their own closely guarded algorithms which personalise the content they show to us – different users who use the exact same search terms or scroll through the same social media platform are likely to see different content.
#BeInCtrl – A Short Film on Online Grooming from PDST Technology in Education on Vimeo. Created to compliment the Be […]
Congratulations to the primary, and post-primary, winners in the Safer Internet Day Awards 2020! Hundreds of students and schools from all over Ireland entered the awards, which recognise the incredible efforts of young people to highlight Safer Internet Day and to help create a safer, better internet.
A record number of students and schools entered the Safer Internet Day Awards 2020. The competition recognises the work that has been done to create awareness of Safer Internet Day, and to promote online safety generally. Thousands of entries were submitted from across Ireland, with an exceptionally high standard of effort to create a safer, better internet for all.
This year Safer Internet Day has attracted more participants than ever before. Over 170,000 people have signed up to the […]
Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service.
Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.
The National Parents Council Primary enables and empowers parents to be effective partners in their children’s education.
Sometimes you might unwittingly stumble across illegal online content like child abuse imagery. Always remember: you can report it and get it removed using Hotline.ie.
Hotline.ie exists to combat the distribution and proliferation of illegal content, like child sexual
abuse content, in conjunction with police and Internet Industry