Children Weigh In The Pros And Cons Of Social Media In A Fun Debate At SCRF 2025

Sharjah: (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30 April, 2025)
Children aged 8 - 15 years shared their thoughts and received valuable guidance about social media usage at a session titled “Should kids be on social media?” conducted by life coach Hamsa Younus at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF).

She engaged kids in a fun debate about the pros and cons of having social media accounts at a young age, thus helping them to think critically about the responsibilities and benefits of online presence.
The children had mixed opinions about social media usage.

Those under 12 did not use social media and felt it was bad for their health, time and studies. A few others in their teens had accounts in YouTube and Instagram, where they shared videos or watched reels.

They contended that if used with care and self-control, it would not pose a problem for other activities in their lives.
Hamsa who is a family counsellor and writer supported their perspectives while gently making suggestions for better usage.

“Do likes and comments make you sad or angry? You must take them in their stride and not let it affect you very much.

Too much addiction and dependence on social media for validation is not a good idea as it can take away your self-esteem.

Limiting social media use to a few hours a day should be practised. This will help later in life when you have a career to have better control of your lives.”
She noted that social media has its negatives and positives and it is difficult to keep kids away from it.

“This is the present lifestyle and children have to know about social media to use it wisely. We have to train them how to use it safely and must have strategies to save them from danger.”
The session also gave children suggestions about how to use their time away from social media, the activities they can do with friends and family, and thereby get over the addiction for social media.
Taking place from April 23 to May 4 at Expo Centre Sharjah, the 16th edition of SCRF promises an immersive experience under the theme “Dive into Books”.

Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), this year’s agenda features 133 guests from 70 countries, and 122 Arab and international publishing houses from 22 nations.