Recent literature has put the spotlight on how technology and social media are shaping the next generation, and the consensus(共识)seems to be that it’s a sharp double-edged sword. New research published in Computers in Human Behavior is no exception.The study,led by faculty at Wellesley Centers for Women, found that     1     (join)social media specifically, Snapchat and Instagram before age 11 was significantly linked to more “problematic digital behaviors”     2     (compare) to those who joined the platforms when they were older.

The team surveyed over 750 middle schoolers in the Northeast United States, and found that those who joined these platforms at or below age 10 had more internet buddies that parents would disapprove of, and visited more social websites that     3     (frown) upon.They also showed more “unsympathetic online behaviors” and were more likely to become victims of online bullying or harassment. Altogether, it was a jumble of (一堆)problematic digital moods. Of course,that might not be news to social media giant Facebook. Some recent leaks in the Wall Street Journal revealed how the platform was aware for some time     4     it was “toxic” for teen girls, and also detailed its ambitions to lure teens and pre-teens with targeted kid-specific products.     5     almost all social media, including Twitter and TikTok, Facebook’s rules require users to be at least 13 years old to join. However, people     6     sign up self-report their own dates of birth, so it's hardly an effective firewall, and by commonsense, it's nearly a given that packs of children are roaming(漫游)the social media universe. In fact, “one-third of our sample had already started using social media at age 11 or 12 and another one-third had begun at age 10 or younger,” study author Linda Charmaraman said in a statement.     7     that doesn't mean it’s a lost cause. The study's findings also suggest parents can combat the harmful impacts by limiting how often their kids check social media, or restricting phone usage. Participants who reported such parental controls showed     8     (lessen) negative effects.

And it's not all bad: According to the research, those who joined social media before age 11also showed     9     (great) civic engagement within the online community--such as posting supportive content or fostering events and activism for social issues. Also,regardless of when they joined social media, early adolescents displayed more positive digital behaviors overall than negative ones.

As the first children raised in the social-media era grow into their 20s and 30s,the effects of the internet revolution will likely become more profound, and we can expect that the need     10     (understand) how tech shapes kids in their most impressionable years will only become more urgent.