MOSHOOD ABIOLA POLYTECHNIC, ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE
NAME: BELLO BARAKAT TOLANI
DEPARTMENT: MASS COMMUNICATION
LEVEL: ND II (FULL TIME)
MATRIC NUMBER: 19/24/1199
TOPIC: NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON NIGERIAN STUDENTS
An adage says “all work and no play makes jack a dull boy and Jill a dull girl”, This adage has been misleading a lot of students who makes the social media a platform of play, jokes and fun alone without tapping the opportunities it offers.
However, we should understand that “all play and no work makes one become a dullard”. And this today brings me to the topic “negative effects of social media on Nigerian Students” My name is Barakat Tolani Bello.
First, social media is defined as an interactive form of media that allows users to interact with each other generally by means of internet. Examples are Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram etc. Over 60percent of people all over the world are currently using at least one or all of this social media networks.
Whereas we are aware that the social media can have positive effects on the Nigerian students, we cannot ignore the fact that youths embrace its negative effects more than they do its negative effects. Youths are predominantly the users of the internet for social interaction and these are the people who cannot imagine life without the internet.
It would have been a great thing if youths (i.e students) embrace the good things that social media offers such as education and credible in formation rather than the bad things they take pleasure in doing. However, they turn blind eye to these good things which are also very important factors of good life.
A lot of parents today are concerned that their children who are in school are spending too much time on social media network and not enough time studying which might ultimately expose them to new cultures, limiting them from fully exhibiting or practicing their own culture.
Engaging in various forms of social media is a routine activity that ought to benefit students by enhancing their communication, social connection and even technical skills but its misuse is what is leading these students astray.
Before highlighting these negative effects on the students, I would like us to understand d that there are a lot of sanctions that these social media tech companies could take to limit the misuse of social media networks, however, they tend to overlook these by indulging the users more with gadgets that can destroy their moral lives.
Some negative effects of social media on students are:
Addiction to social media: Students spend their precious time on social media rather than on educational stuffs that can increase their knowledge.
Addiction to immoral posts: Students that are not matured enough will start to watch movies that are rated above their age, they will start to read stories rated 18.
Cyber bullying: Social media makes people bully each other on the internet which may lead to depression or death.
Spreading of fake news: Social media indulges the students through which they disseminate rumours and untrue stories about people around them.
Lack of control over personal information: Most students cannot do without posting their daily activities online. They update their social media sites with every little detail of their lives.
Fraudulent Activities: it makes students indulge themselves in cybercrime and fraudulent activities such as yahoo etc., they use these social media networks to dupe people of their money and belongings online.
We should be aware that if these negative effects are not controlled or overlooked, it can lead to the eradication of good moral in Nigeria. Hence, it is strongly recommended that:
We have adequate and effective online child protection law.
Parents should monitor the activities of their wards.
Government should empower the students so as to engage them in more meaningful activities.
In conclusion, there should be a means of curtailing the negative effect that social media has on Students not only Nigeria but all over the world.