Analysis of New Media on the Development of Children

The topic I chose to do my term paper is about the analysis of new media in the development of children. Children are highly exposed to new media at young ages and it can effect them deeply, whether it be positive or negative. In my research and analysis, I want to analyze those positive and negative effects and see how it can change the way a child thinks, feels, acts, etc. I'd like to take a deep dive into apps like Youtube, Instagram and TikTok and investigate how children and young teens interact with those apps. These three apps are heavily used by children and all of those apps have functional differences. We're all aware of the many effects social media and new media in general have on adults such as ourselves but what about young, fragile minds? Children are taking in so much content at very developmental stages in their lives. Children are extremely gullible, easy to persuade, and for the most part, carefree. On the other hand, children easily adapt to new technology and use it to their advantage. We often see the downsides of social media but social media can also be positive and beneficial.