After reflecting on my own experiences with technology and reading articles about others experiences. (Specifically the article I’m 14 and I Quit Social Media) It really got me thinking about how I used social media when I was 14 and before that. I started using social media when I was 11 on an app called Amino. It was an app with different communities where you could make posts and meet people with your similar interests. (Like Reddit in a way). I joined after a Sims content creator was sponsored by the app. I didn’t really have any other friends who played Sims 4 so I was immediately drawn to it. Despite the age requirement being 13, I joined at 11. This is the case for others too, all accounts were made at 11 or 12.
What I did not realize is Amino was a breeding ground for pedophiles. At my peak I had around 13k followers and was at the top of the leaderboard which showcased our reputation points. You’d accumulate them by being active. Never once while using Amino was I worried or came into contact with someone I shouldn’t have. I met some amazing people who I share great memories with. I really bonded with kids who were around my age. And I was even there for one of them when her father was battling, and sadly passed away from cancer. While I am not in contact with any of these kids nowadays, I am grateful for the time I had on Amino. I taught myself how to use photoshop and would compete in editing competitions. It was Amino which launched my love for writing fiction as I would write insane stories for my sims at the age of 11. Sure there was a lot of pressure sometimes, everyone wanted to be the best. I only ever won one competition during my time but that's okay. But overall minus a few annoying staff members, Amino was some of the most fun I have ever had on social media.
While that is all in my past. I have continued to use social media every day since then. It just looks a little different. I rarely post things and I am more of a lurker. I will occasionally tweet my opinions, as for Reddit, I don’t need to be downvoted for sharing my opinions. I started using Twitter (I am not calling it X) at 12 when the age requirement is 13 and up. It was never a problem until I got myself locked out of my first account. That’s not such a big deal though, my cringey past can get deleted. That's fine.
Although I started using social media at a very young age. I never feared for my safety. I think that is because my dad taught me the do’s and don’ts before letting myself and my two sisters have accounts. If someone weird tried to message me on any platform, I just hit the block button and that was that, nothing to stress over. I always see these horror stories of young girls being left without supervision online. While I think some supervision is important. I think explaining the dangers and how to avoid them is more effective than being a helicopter parent. As for today's concerns with data mining. That is also something I don’t lose sleep over. While getting targeted ads is a little odd. And sometimes I do think my Amazon Alexa is listening to my conversations because my family and I will talk about something, then boom it’s there. But I’m not worried about something like identity theft. That is because I use social media responsibly. Of course bad things are always going to happen, but they are less likely to happen if you're smart about how you use the internet. If you’re on the other side of this and work in the industry everyone is so afraid of, I’m sure your opinion would be different.
Sources
https://www.fastcompany.com/90315706/kids-parents-social-media-sharing
