Social media is the collective of online communications channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration. is a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. Yet, the internet has, in recent years, become an unsafe space for Pakistani women. Instances of online harassment, abuse, and blackmail are not uncommon. In today’s evolving society, there is no denying that pop culture, media and entertainment has a significant influence on us. It is everywhere we go. When we turn on the television, some company is marketing a new brand of clothing. In magazines geared towards teen readers, nearly every other page is filled with a Photoshopped image of a model advertising a line of cosmetics that is sure to make us feel “prettier” and “happier” because “we’re worth it.” In my opinion, I do not think that the correct notion is to believe that this can or needs to be “abolished,” because in reality, businesses will still try to market their brands through conspicuous, often explicit, means.
However, I do believe that young girls need to learn how to perceive and react to social media, pop culture and entertainment in a more positive way. This isn’t taught in schools, and I highly doubt that our parents can honestly understand social media to understand its effects.
One of the greatest dangers faced by young girls online today is the toxic nature of cyber bullying. Social media provides a new platform for bullying, where peers can spew abuse (sometimes anonymously) at your child this could range from making embarrassing social media posts about your child to a personal attack of relentless messaging.
Young girls already feel an enormous amount of pressure from their families, the media, and their peer group. They worry constantly whether they’re cool enough, smart enough, thin enough, pretty enough, and so on. Social media can be a detrimental influence in this regard, providing fodder for your child to compare themselves to others and feel they are coming up short. Most particularly, this affects issues of body image and self-esteem.