Young people get access to social media at an increasingly young age. The problem here is that they find themselves in the most critical phase of their personal development. A phase in which they are extreemly vulnerable for various reasons. If we link that to the usage of social media we are placing a time bomb under their development. There are many triggers that make this bomb go off. 

Let us first look at this vulnerability.

Our young generations are going through three development phases until they reach the phase of early maturity. The first phase is the toddler phase, referred to in Sustainocracy as the "unconsciously living life" phase. This period is fully under the protective guidance of the parents and normally no social media is yet present, not in the hands of the toddler that is. In the hands of the parents it is, including many photo and video sharing moments that could cross privacy lines of the youngsters. But that is another story, good for another tutorial.

Phases 2 and 3 are the most relevant here. Those are the phases in which the youngsters get into the so called "unaware and self aware competitive survival" phases. These are characterized as competitive with lack still of compassion or empathy for the feelings of others.

A toddler is still unaware of the large world and gradually develops itself in small steps, learning to communicate through laughter and cry, falling and standing up. Awareness reveals itself slowly as the young child starts to observe, recognize and repeat patterns. At a particular time the young child gets in contact with other children of about the same age. Then the comparison starts. The children learn by playing, challenging each other to show their abilities and other features of their lives. It is at first (phase 2) an unconscious state of competition, a natural attitude of mirroring with the behavior within their surroundings in order to get to know oneself. Negative feedback is experienced as a drama while positive feedback is sensed as a reassurance of a positive self image.

In the subsequent phase (phase 3) the teenage youngsters start developing their own criteria, right or wrong, for their own behavior. Values transferred to them by the parents are often challenged and experimented with, including contradictions. The teenagers wish to develop their own identity which is necessary to leave the parental nest. Often their actions are under the radar of the parents. At this age they are very vulnerable since their behavior tends to be expansive, exagerated in many ways, often uncontrolled, even by themselves. 

Letting go of the chaos of puberty brings the young adult into quieter waters (phase 4). The roughness of experimentation is now more under control based on the experiences lived. One seeks more harmony and can develop empathy with others. This is the area in which partnerships can be created, offspring of their own expected. It is an area that matures over time with even a possible 5th phase referring to ancient, deepend wisdom, a phase in life of full integration.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PHASES:

• Phase 1: New born child / Toddler - Unconscious life
• Phase 2: Growing up - Unconscious competition
• Phase 3: Puberty - Conscious competition (survival)
• Phase 4: Maturity - Conscious life

Our current competitive and performance driven society tends to keep people, even at a more advanced, adult age, within phase 3. We often see that inner calmness only arrives after the age of 40. But for our youngest generations phase 1 is key to establish emotional stability thanks to the active and protective presence of both parents. The warm bedding within a family relationship is determinant for the emotional stability on which the child builds the rest of his or her life. Very often we see broken families, with fights among the parents, aggression and lack of loving embedding that reflects through the behavior of the growing up phases of the young people. Instead of a positive self image they develop traumas and behavioral disorder. 

Phase 2 requires parental and adult guidance to establish behavioral normative around compassion, respect, care, etc. In their competitve attitude these youngsters can react very adversely when they feel less or superior to anyone else in certain aspects of their daily routines. Adult moderation is often needed to help these youngsters understand relativity, diversity and humility by learning to understand themselves and others through reflection and feedback. Doing sports is a great way for them to deal with their excessive energy and skill based learning paths.  At this age (5 till about 12) the unconsciousness rules through trial and error. That is why parental moderation is key in the learning process about what is right and wrong.

Puberty is characterized by the breakthrough of conscious decision making. The competitive, comparing nature starts to include a more calculated mentality, applying wit and determination. If the basis is right in phases 1 and 2, the youngster will have an ethical foundation that will provide a layer of mental protection. But often this is not the case in our society full of competitive pitfalls and behavioral challenges. The experimentation can take morally unacceptable forms that such young people would severely regret when the consequences are presented. If, in such an arena, social media is used, a lot undesired can happen. 

About social media
The current social economic environment attaches value in filling our lives with electronics. Our younger generations are increasingly confronted at very early stages of their lives with electronic instruments, including social media. If we match this with their evolutionary pattern and the phases of unconscious and conscious competition there are obvious risks involved. The real world is already
tough for growing up. Yet the real world has a series of self corrective aspects to it. The online world does not have that and is therefor exponentially tougher, mostly even invisible for the parents or tutors.

The 2nd and 3rd phase of human development are unfit for social media as it stands today as unsupervised medium. The youngsters are in the middle of finding out about their own identity. They do this through comparison. Their communication skills are still very undiplomatic, judgmental, often unaware of cruelty. Social media is uncontroled, without mediation or guidance. This roughness of the youngsters gets free play in this environment. The are easily influenced by role models, while the communication skills can take very dangerous flights. The consequences are huge. Even the sweatest, most humble, shy personality can demostrate him or herself as a little online monster. The number of suicides among young people is enormous. Social media is not the only cause, but it certainly is one. 

In subsequent modules we will look at what can be done.

The invitation for youth workers to join in the process of discussing the social media issues in a digital world.