Effects of Social Media on Family Culture | Ms. Anju Badhwar |

Have you ever thought about the impact of technology on family time? How social media is destroying your life? How social media is changing family relationships? What are the Positive and negative effects of social media on family timing? How bad is the over-use of social media?

The advancements in technology have made a strong impact on almost all areas of our society. It is making a serious difference in the way kids and parents perceive the world and each other.

Technology and social media play an important role in hampering family relationships. It specially affects the family by decreasing family time, reducing socialization, and face-to-face communication.

From monthly family updates to mommy blogs, social media has created a unique family niche on the internet. Growing numbers of families are creating a network to share their families’ experiences, such as moving to a new home or raising children. Some will create posts on the “how-tos” of parenting or discuss the controversies of home life like vaccines or child discipline.

Families publishing their lives on social media has become a growing trend in recent years, but what are the consequences on the family away from the screen? How are family dynamics affected by social media?

Kelsey Ellis, a new mom and BYU alumna now living in Columbus, Ohio, said she likes to post about her family and everyday events because it provides her a support group of people in her exact situation.

Ellis said there are two reasons why she posts on Facebook: to show everyone, especially her mom, how much her daughter has grown, and to document her recovery after childbirth.

“Social media gave me a voice in a time when I was trying to grasp on to my dignity,” Ellis said.

Ellis also said social media has given her and her family the ability to start meaningful conversations about childbirth and mothering.

“When you have a baby, everything is about that baby,” Ellis said. “There isn’t a whole lot of focus on the mom. If you do have any focus on the mom, it’s comments that are well intended but seem fake. I’ve heard people say, ‘Wow, it doesn’t look like you pushed out a baby!’ But what if I did look like I just pushed out a baby? Why is that negative?”

Ellis said the purpose of her chronicling her family experiences is to document the deeper emotions that go into being a mom.

While Ellis uses social media to start meaningful conversations, Saratoga Springs resident and former BYU student Kate Neish uses it to share stories and images of her son, Teddy. 

“As far as social media and parenting goes, I really like social media,” Neish said. “I feel like a lot of the work that parents do with their children is silent and goes unnoticed.”

Neish said social media allows her to share the intensive work inherent in being a mom. While she acknowledged that parenting isn’t the most exciting work, she appreciates the community social media creates for parents to offer support for each other.

“I appreciate getting comments that say, ‘Hey, I know what you’re going through and that’s great, hang in there, being a parent is hard, you got this.'” Neish said.