Social Media causes 'deeply unhappy' teens.

Social media certainly doesn't help because it's made it easier for low life to bully or groom kids and teenagers.  Lots of kids are confused because of the hormones raging through their bodies and some are not being educated in the facts of life.  I don't just mean the "birds and the bees", but what's acceptable behaviour and what isn't.  Add in the celebrity culture that we now have, where it's okay to be scantily clad, it's no wonder that teenagers feel pressured.

I often talk to my young niece about these issues and as she's now at senior school, I hope there is a staff member who provides support should she ever feel she cannot talk to her parents or wider family.  

There seems to be so much peer pressure on the kids. My nippers who are 5 and 7 are both aware of Facebook and have asked if they can join it! After an obvious flat "not until hell freezes over",  I then got asked by the eldest if I can put things on Facebook for her.

So we had a chat about it trying to find out where the interest was coming from, and although she has overheard me and the missus talking about it, it seems to be the topic of conversation for 6 and 7 years olds in the playground, with some parents being a bit more relaxed than I think is appropriate.

But from a school curriculum point of view, both kids are fully aware of online stranger danger, can tell you that they mustn't use their own names or personal details online, and that there are some bad people out there. So it's great that online safety is now taken so seriously, with the concept of social media and online profiles being explained, but another part of me finds it sad that kids so young have to be made aware. The bubble of innocence is so small, it's seems a shame to have to pop it so early.

Not sure how you deal with bullying, not even sure it is only related to children / teens... I think it is very probable that teachers / adults can target individual children and bully them,  It certainly happens in the work place, but more often than not it will be passed of as being work place banter... You only have to watch the likes of Big Brother or I'm a Celebrity to see adults / cliques bullying others.... Not sure that it is intentional or whether the people doing it actually realise they are doing it... The school bully I had to deal with was a ABA school boy boxing champ... I cant remember how it all escalated but he kept having a dig at me and it went on for sometime.... Anyway I left it for 2 or 3 weeks allowed him to push his way in front of everyone for school lunch...... Then battered him with the dinner tray... Unfortunately him being 2 years older than me and a whole lot bigger I came off worse....  But it sorted out the problem and we never had any further issues... In fact we're friends on FB 40 years later and laugh about it now...

You're right Barney.

There are adult bullies as well as child ones.  There could be a number of reasons why adults behave that way.  Something in their parents/relatives lives that they have carried through thinking it's the norm.  I've only experienced one bully, a female who was the MD's PA.  She got so fed up with not getting a reaction from me that she started to tell lies.  Luckily my boss knew what she was doing and confronted the MD about her behaviour.  A few months later, the company was taken over and the new MD made her an offer she couldn't refuse (after the departure of her boss).  Her reaction was to accuse me of undermining her.  Redundancy letter and cheque completed very quickly.....

As the saying goes "what comes around, goes around...."

I love this  I go agree with what comes around goes around- but sometimes the matter is taken too far and its too late to come back around as the saying goes.