Kids and the New Social Media

Have you met a six-year-old child who knows how to turn off, on, and restart computer and laptop? How about a preschooler who knows how to look for a file/folder that contains music and plays it using NOT JUST Windows Media Player BUT ALSO VLC? A child who logs on to a website and knows that he has to type in the Search box to find what he is looking for? A kid who can operate Skype and can change status and mood of your account? A child who recognizes the need to disable and enable internet connection and knows how to do it? If not, then you have to meet my brother. 

And! Are you using Windows Movie Maker or Ulead to edit videos and music? Here’s what my brother uses instead of those (CLICK).

I am sure that not only my brother is like this. Many children nowadays, ages 10 and below, are already computer-literate and techy. From the children’s interest in toys, cartoons, animes, to their exposure in the Internet, websites, and of course, new social media. 

Yes, new social media, indeed. New social media is not just for teens, yuppies, and (catching up) grownups, but is now also for children.

What might have introduced children to new social media?

1. Cartoons and animes promoting their websites during their airtime.
2. Older siblings and parents of children using new social media like podcasts, wikis, blogs, video blogs, (especially) social networking sites, and others.
3. Innate urge of children to interact and not just watch and listen to the sacred box. Children may be very visual but they are after interaction too.

If you will notice, websites for children like Cartoon Network Philippines, Disney, Petpet Park, and Nickelodeon have their own strategies for children continue going to their site. These sites have games, videos about latest products and shows, music, contests, online news, downloadable wallpapers, video and game comments, communities that serve as social networks, polls, posts by visitors, quizzes, and even forums.

In these, we can see that even children are starting to adapt the roles of new social media in their simple way of living. How much more in the years to come after they leave childhood?

**Note: If you are my sister’s contact in Facebook, 80% of her morning posts there are done by my little brother. If you message her and she replies “no macy,” it means that my brother is using her Facebook account to play applications and he is telling you that “macy,” my sister, is not around.