In our society, technology continues to advance at a fast pace. Whether camera quality on your iPhone or speed of a search engine, it is fascinating what the world is accomplishing every day with technology.

But, how we use technology is getting a little out of control in some aspects. We have so many opportunities to voice our opinions in a positive way, yet we see negative and hateful comments overwhelming our Facebook pages. Instead of using our phones to call for help if we see something bad happening, some people choose to video record the scene to upload to YouTube later. It makes you wonder how some people think those things could possibly benefit society.

However, one of the worst things happening with technology today is parents’ letting their young children have such a presence on social media.

It is one thing to let a teenager have a Facebook page to chat with classmates and post pictures of animals and friends. But to let younger children who aren’t even 10 years old have a Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or any other social media account is a little ridiculous.

Not only are those children being exposed to negative and hateful comments, but we are, in a way, taking their innocence away.

Kids that age should be out riding a bicycle, reading a book or playing some type of sport in their back yard. They shouldn’t be hurting their necks looking down at a phone scrolling to see the latest news on social media.

Granted, many parents aren’t allowing this to happen and are letting their children enjoy being children. But, the cold, hard truth is that some parents do let it happen.

Looking back on my childhood, if my parents had given me a phone at that young of an age and let me sign up for social media, I think I would have turned out as a 20-something with a hunchback and a bad attitude.

I think today’s parents should take a look and evaluate the consequences of their young children being on social media. Instead of allowing them to make a social media account or even have a phone at that age, maybe they should tell their children that they cannot have those things until they are a certain age. If they absolutely believe there is nothing wrong with their child having a social media account, the least they could do is monitor what their children are posting and searching for on a daily basis.

Overall, I think that parents should remember that their young children are at a crucial age where they are learning right from wrong. How can we expect them to know the difference if they are being confused by what they see on social media sites?

Hannah Davis is sports editor of The Farmville Herald. Her email address is hannah.davis@farmvilleherald.com.