Just Between You, Me, and My 622 BFFs - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The social media impacts a lot of the children’s development. The author of the essay illustrates this very vividly. At the beginning of her article, Orenstein addresses the case of a fourteen-year-old teen by the name Erin. The teen confesses that she began engaging herself in online activities since she was in third grade. This brings out the fact of how early the children get exposed to the internet and the social media. The early exposure to the Internet makes them adopt new behaviors and lifestyles that may be unhealthy. For instance, Orenstein comments on how Erin and three of her friends shunned a healthy meal prepared by her mother, for a bucket of shamrock-shaped, green frosted sugar cookies bought at the grocery store. By so doing, the author tries to bring to the audience the effect of continued exposure to the internet on the children. What their mother thinks is important for them may not match their knowledge gained from the internet. It is unfortunate that they may prefer taking what the internet advertises. In this case, the sugar cookies sounded so popular to them since they were bought during the celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day. This can be attributed to the fact that the four teens had been online from as early as age seven or eight. The author uses the three teens to illustrate how the children in the present era are so much attached to the mobile devices, ensuring they have internet everywhere and at all times. She notes that Erin and her three friends each owned an iPod touch, used computers daily. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More