Parental Responses to the Social Media Impact on Adolescent Development in Taiwan

I.Introduction

   A. Hook: According to Child Welfare League Foundation R.O.C.(2024), Taiwanese children create     their own social media accounts at the age of 11, and more than 95% of children and adolescents using social media.

   B. Background information:

1. The phone-based generation and “the great rewiring of childhood”

   2. The legal age range of “adolescent” defined by Taiwanese Law and WHO(The World Health Organization)

   C. Thesis statement: This essay will dive into how social media negatively affects childhood development and leads to mental health issues in teenagers, and research into the Taiwanese parents’ responses to these issues.

II.Problem Description 1: Social media cause damage to the learning development stage of children.

    A. The three most important motivations for children learning

        1. Free play

          ⚫Activities freely chosen and led by participants, and to play for the sake of playing, not to                   achieve goals unrelated to the play itself. (Peter Gray)

          ⚫Through repetitive activities and feedback in a low-risk environment, children strengthen                     neural connections.

        2. Attunement: Interacting with others by adjusting and synchronizing your movements and emotions

        3. Social learning

          ⚫Conformist bias

          ⚫Prestige bias

    B. The ways social media destroy these elements

        1. The lack of “free play” and “attunement” due to the increasing time of using social media

        2. Unrealistic and negative social learning experience on the platforms

III. Counterargument 1: It’s easier to approach much knowledge as well as learning interacting with people on the social media.

     Refutation 1: Too many distractions and unreliable information for learning

     Refutation 2: Interacting is often not synchronized and face-to-face for social skill learning

IV. Problem Description 2: Social media is the main cause of the serious mental problems of Gen Z adolescents.  

     A. The mental issues grown between 2010 and 2015, a period referred to as “the great rewiring of childhood” by Jonathan Haidt

     B. The studies of the connection between social media and teenagers researched by Meta

Ⅴ. Counterargument 2: The maliciousness arises from individuals using the platforms rather than from the platforms themselves, so social media shouldn’t be responsible for the issues facing children and teenagers, as it merely offers a means for communication and sharing.

        Refutation 1: The ultimate addicted loop system researched by Meta

        Refutation 2: The safety issues caused by the algorithm of social media

Ⅵ. Proposed Solutions to Parents:

       A. Reducing the use of social media in front of children

       B. Encouraging offline activities

       C. Discussing the negative impact of social media with children

Ⅶ. Conclusion

         A. Summarize the main points: The negative impacts of social media on children’s learning and adolescents’ mental health

         B. Restate the thesis: The damage to the learning development stage of children and the impact on adolescents’ mental health issues are caused by social media, and parents should take actions to respond to this current problem.  

Chatlog: https://chatgpt.com/c/671676df-a144-8003-9b65-3d36d9d0f3c9