According to a report by statista.com, “As of January 2021, Nigeria had approximately 33 million active social media users.” If you understand Nigeria’s population demographics very well, you will know that we have more young people here, and with the figure given above, your child will likely be an active user. Therefore, this should concern you.
The exposure of students to social media is changing their behavior in the classroom because for the most part, they can’t get their minds out of what they have consumed from the media and that is making them to lose focus easily.
One of the strongest forces of globalization is social media. Anything that is done in the corner of London can be viewed live in a family house in Zambia. While this can be good for us, it can be dangerous for the education of our children if not well managed. It can be good because it exposes us to other people’s cultures and ways of doing things which can sharpen our resilience and perspective as a people.
However, the story may not be the same for our children because they may not be able to filter what is good and what is not.
Students are now exposed to external resources outside the classroom that can make or mar their classroom learning. The proliferation of social media and internet usage exposes students to a whole lot of resources that can influence their education rightly, or wrongly.
This is where it gets tricky because teachers have no eye outside the classroom. Their scope and control are only limited to what’s happening inside the classroom. Therefore, parents have a huge responsibility of ensuring that whatever students are exposed to outside the school hour is something that will add value to their learning experience and not deplete it.
If, however, you are careless about this, whatever you pay as school fees may become a complete waste, trust me. The impact of social media can be so strong that a little exposure without guidance could make students become psychologically distracted and could affect their learning forever.
Therefore, as a parent, for you to get the best value, you have to design a system that will allow you to get involved in the education of your children. You have to be concerned and monitor what they are exposed to and you have to follow up with what they are doing in school. This is the only way you can be sure that they are becoming a responsible adult.
Goodluck
Abdulrafiu Arikewuyo