Social Media Is Sneaking Into Young Kids' Lives, Like It or Not

 

Social Media Is Sneaking Into Young Kids' Lives, Like It or Not    By Jeff Knutson Senior Content Strategist, Education It's never too early to give kids the skills they'll need to navigate our social media-infused world. We might try to stop it, but pop culture always finds a way into kids' lives. And pop culture today is social media—mainly TikTok. Here's a true story: The other day, driving my third grader home from school, I was surprised to overhear him humming a song from a popular TikTok video I'd seen. It was a specific song with a very specific four-letter word in it. To be clear, my son does not have a TikTok account. Did he overhear it somewhere? Or maybe a friend's older sibling showed it to him. Did he somehow see it cross-posted on YouTube? I asked him, of course, but you know how that goes.  I get it, that's just how these things work. Like the "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" song or any other joke or urban myth—despite our best efforts, they seem to get passed around the playground, handed down from older kid to younger kid, on and on, in perpetuity. But it also shows how TikTok is pretty much everywhere these days. Like it or not, TikTok's meme-like videos, songs, and dances aren't just part of youth culture, they basically are youth culture—for both older and younger kids. Sure, there's some decent and entertaining stuff there, but there's also lots of very problematic content. Not to mention an algorithm fine-tuned to keep users entranced and hungry for more.   Kids, even young ones, are curious about social media. This is why it's important for teachers—at all grade levels—to address it. Whether it's TikTok today, or some other platform five years from now, you'll give your students a firm footing to stand on when they encounter life's digital dilemmas (and they will encounter them).  Below, you'll find a handful of lessons you can use to spark kids' critical thinking about life in a social media world. And for kids or tweens on the cusp of social media age, be sure to also check out Social Media Test Drive, a social media simulator for tweens, aimed at helping them deal with digital dilemmas.  Who Is in Your Online Community? (Grades K–2) TikTok is a global social network with videos from all over the world going viral. Help kids think critically about the ways that social media connects us with others, both near and far. My Media Choices (Grades 3–5) Social media algorithms are engineered to keep us glued to our screens. Help kids make informed choices about the media they're consuming and creating. My Social Media Life (Grades 6–8) Lots of middle schoolers use TikTok to connect with friends, share videos, and keep up with the latest trends. But it also comes with big-time distractions, social pressures, and more. Use this lesson to help your students navigate it all.  Filter Bubble Trouble (Grades 9–12) TikTok's algorithm is fine-tuned (maybe more than any other platform to date) to feed us more of what we (supposedly) want. Get your high schoolers thinking critically about how social media shapes our view of the world, and ourselves. As for my third grader, over dinner that night I playfully asked him if he had any other songs or memes to share. Then things got really weird. His little brother (4 years old) stared me dead in the eyes and said, "You're sus, Dada." As the saying goes, they grow up fast!    Jeff Was this email forwarded to you? Get it delivered to your inbox