Crafty algorithms leave youngsters addicted to these platforms and susceptible to online bullying and abuse Reading the newspaper one recent morning, I was struck by a headline: “Meta sued over 11-year-old’s suicide”. The report from the U.S. left me feeling sorry for the child’s mother, who has chosen to call out the “culprits” who caused her little ones’ death. She alleged that her daughter suffered from depression and sleep deprivation due to severe addiction to Instagram and Snapchat. The report reminded me of a similar case in the U.K. where a man partly blamed Instagram for his 14-year-old son’s suicide.It sent shivers down my spine as I recalled a similar case of alleged suicide by a teenager whose family I know personally. She was probably upset over her Instagram photos and for being reprimanded for them. It’s indeed scary that our children like to spend more time on these social media platforms than with us parents. Being a mother of a 13-year-old girl, I instantly slipped into deep introspection. She recently introduced me to a word called “ghosting” — friends suddenly choosing to disappear from your life. A sudden feeling of being ignored and neglected by friends had hurt her…
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Children and social media traps – The Hindu
