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An online media content analyst and trainer, Stella Omepa, has warned that the society faces enormous risk except the posting of harmful contents on social media is brought under control.

She said that unwholesome contents are having negative impacts on the psychological development of children.

Omepa raised the concern in a paper delivered at a workshop organised by the National Orientation Agency for bloggers and social media users in Lagos.

She pointed out cyber bullying as a major challenge facing the younger generation, noting that children who are exposed to such contents would grow up to embrace bullying as a way of life.

Omepa said it was sad that the older subscribers who should have set a more acceptable standard of interaction on social media platforms have also taken to cyber bullying. This, she said, is sending a wrong signal to teenage users.

Cyber bullying is not peculiar to young adults. Even older people suffer the same effects. Celebrities now dread the Internet because of lack of respect for their private lives and the negative comments made by Internet users who are hardly aware of their stories or struggles.

People have used Photoshop to do unthinkable things, sometimes drawing a link between an important personality and an animal. And before you know it, such images begin to trend on social media sites. I doubt if anyone would ever be able to comprehend the pain such a person would go through when he stumbles on the picture, she said.

The expert said it was important parents and guardians started protecting their children against cyber bullying before we start recording heartbreaking scenarios. To do this, she advised, the society should start correcting the impression among kids that they could say anything they wish without facing the consequence.

Omepa also pointed out that social media had the potential of impeding the intellectual growth of early users. She observed that most students now rely too much on the Internet for solutions at the expense of their intellectual development. This, she noted, prevented them from engaging in rigorous mental work to find unique solutions.

She continued, Estimating the number of younger Nigerians that own smartphones is very challenging, but it is glaring that the demand for stylish smartphones by younger Nigerians is on the rise due to the special features that enable them access the Internet. The dangers of exposure to harmful contents are also becoming a source of worry.

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Expert slams negative impacts of social media contents