Social Media Guilt On A Near Daily Basis

Social Media Guilt Article By Missy Hitchcox

On a near daily basis, I grapple with my reluctance to spend time on social media, and my compulsive desire to stare at it without purpose.

From a parental and educator point of view, it really is invaluable in its ability to provide networking, knowledge and support. Without the large online home educating community, it would require substantially greater effort on my part to discover the array of classes, workshops, groups and gatherings available to my child.

I can rather effortlessly find myself tagged in relevant posts, invited to appealing events and generally stay connected with the people and activities we find essentially beneficial to our home education journey.

Of course, there’s the addition that online platforms can be wonderful for harnessing a child’s creativity. While I wouldn’t dream of allowing my six year old to roam free on social media, with safeguarding measures, some apps can prove wonderfully entertaining and educational.

So far this month, social media has proved useful in orchestrating the re-enrolment of several classes we attend, and has served up an offering of museum visits, baking workshops, play dates and discounted resources.

And aside from education, the support available to parents via social media is phenomenal. A query posted on a parenting-related page can be answered in mere minutes. And sometimes just seeing a relatable meme or a comical status can be a reassuring nod or gentle nudge to keep persevering through tricky times.

Also, the opportunity to bore your family and friends with endless photos of your kids’ everyday happenings is too good to pass up.

But seriously, it’s a great way to store photos in the peace of mind that they won’t be lost.

On the whole, the positive impact of social media can be recognised in many respects.

And then there’s the guilt of checking the screen! I hope I’m not the only parent who has heard “Mum, get off your phone!” on several occasions.

I do try to remain aware of observing what’s right in front of me, as opposed to looking at it through a lens with intent to upload later. It can be a huge distraction from ‘real’ life, and a cunning time waster.

Also, whilst the support and encouragement on social media is evident, there is the often unmentioned ‘pressure’ to keep up appearances.

To always maintain an image of happiness, or wealth, or success. Which just isn’t reality. Life is full of highs and lows, but the truth is no one wants to capture a nose dive into misery.

It’s easy to see how a person spending considerable amounts of time online might feel completely isolated and particularly unfortunate when they hit a low point.

This can discourage the type of sharing that actually matters - real, honest communication with friends, family, and neighbours.

I think with regards to teaching our children about the world of social media, it’s a great idea to show them the fun side and the positives, such as funny videos, messages and communication exchanged between family and friends. But it’s also essential to help them understand that it isn’t real life.

Gadgets, technology, the internet. They are just that. It’s a part of the world we live in, and our childrens’ futures.

But if they want a conversation with someone, picking up the phone and knocking on a door are much more human ways to reach out.

And while technology in itself is a fascinating subject for all to observe or study, lessons about humanity are by far the most valuable of all.

We need to teach our children to engage in real conversations, form real relationships, and appreciate the real world around us.

Screens can be great when a helping hand is needed to inform, entertain, or even distract our children!

But in a heartbeat, I’d rather get them outdoors to reconnect with nature, and ourselves.

And we will be doing just that, at every opportunity.