Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, expressing his concerns about the use of children on social media, stated that using a child solely for exhibition purposes, outside of their developmental aim, is defined as 'exhibitionism' and is a psychological perversion. Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "In my opinion, such situations should be examined under the scope of 'child abuse.' In such a case, an expert witness examines whether there is child abuse. If there is child abuse, there will be warning penalties and monetary fines."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated, "A child is not a commodity, not marketing material. An approach that commodifies a child is not humane."
Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated content featuring children.
Social media posts perceived as normal by children
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that in social media posts involving children, the parents' sharing style and the child's age group are decisive, saying, "Posts made on special occasions, on topics meaningful for the child's developing psyche, can have a positive effect. However, routine posts like 'pose turn right, pose turn left,' especially in children aged 0-6 who haven't developed abstract thinking skills, are perceived as normal behavior in life."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that parents are the child's hero and role model during this period, said, "The child learns to be limitless and unquestioning in self-display. This is one of the most significant ailments of our era. These individuals are potential candidates for psychiatric clinics and aesthetic surgery, and most are not happy."
These posts can lead the child towards an egocentric life
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that these posts create a false sense of worth in children, such as "If your physical appearance is good, you are valuable; if you are on social media, you are valuable," and that this directs the child towards a consumable, superficial, and egocentric life. He continued:
"The child ends up living a consumable life. Instead of a life with deep relationships, mutual aid, sharing, empathy, and respect, it becomes a life of superficiality, self-display, and egocentricity. And children who start this way at a young age are candidates for narcissistic personality disorder in later life. Narcissistic personality disorder is currently the leading cause of depression, suicide, and substance abuse. Children susceptible to this are being raised. Using their children as market material, like a purchase material in the media, causes damage to the children's developing psyche."
The child says, "My mom and dad are doing this for others"
Prof. Dr. Tarhan pointed out that child videos, which appear to be innocent entertainment, can lead to deep psychological problems in the future, stating, "After a while, the child starts to think, 'My mom and dad are not doing this for me. They are doing it to show others.' When they realize this, the mother-child relationship deteriorates. Parents currently have a self-display fetishism. There is a fetishism of being visible."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that the 'I am seen, therefore I exist' mentality in parents leads to insatiability for praise and approval in children, stating, "A child who grows up with an insatiable need for praise and approval will live dependent on others in the future. This is the greatest weakness of a narcissistic personality. This weakness causes hypocritical and manipulative people to gather around them. These children will later become personalities who are easily manipulated and deceived. Just as fraudsters and sellers first approach with praise and then trap people, these children also remain vulnerable to praise."
Social media addiction: "behavioral addiction"…
Defining social media addiction as "behavioral addiction," Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "You can see all the criteria of substance addiction here: using more than planned, feeling bad without it, disrupting daily life, and harmful use. Replace the substance with social media; it's the same thing. It disrupts the brain's reward system as much as a narcotic drug does."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that social media platforms establish "persuasion laboratories" and operate with the motto "Our only competitor is sleep." He added that these platforms turn people into objects rather than subjects, and parents unwittingly teach their children "to be used."
"This is child abuse; there is a legal loophole"
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that families who share images of their children, in particular, are taking a great risk, and that this situation could amount to child abuse, saying, "When the child grows up and asks, 'Mom, Dad, why did you share this?' that is called child abuse. Currently, there is a legal loophole in this regard. Social media does not act ethically; it creates ethical rules as it sees negative consequences, but in the meantime, a generation is lost."
"Don't turn your child into a media monkey"
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that families turn their children into "media monkeys" on social media, which greatly harms the child's developing psyche, saying, "This is a bit harsh to say, but families are turning their children into media monkeys. The child becomes someone everyone plays with, enjoys, and laughs at. This child does not consent. Parents cannot make decisions on behalf of the child."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that children who become famous at a young age are unhappy later in life and experience mood disorders, saying, "These families increase the likelihood of their children developing bipolar disorder. This is because they cannot teach the child emotion regulation. These children are at risk for narcissistic personality disorder and mood disorders."
Sharing one's most intimate and private details is a kind of psychological perversion!
Expressing his concerns about the use of children on social media, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the primary motivation behind these actions by families is "to be visible" and "to accumulate points."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that using a child solely for exhibition purposes, outside of their developmental aim, is defined as "exhibitionism" and is a psychological perversion. He continued:
"Sharing one's most intimate, most private details with society is considered a type of psychological perversion. If this situation is done continuously and has become a way of life, it is very dangerous. In my opinion, such situations should be examined under the scope of 'child abuse.' A parent does not have the right to humiliate their child to this extent. In such a case, whether there is child abuse is examined by an expert witness. If there is child abuse, there will be warning penalties and monetary fines. There is definitely a sanction. People with maternal and paternal maturity do not do these things. Here, there is no maternal or paternal maturity; there is only ego satisfaction or opportunism. There is a situation of gaining profit through the child, using the child like a display window, that is, seeing the child as a commercial material, a commodity. A child is not a commodity, not marketing material. An approach that commodifies a child is not humane. It is already not ethical to commodify a child under the age of 18 and turn them into market material."
For a child, abuse means the violation of privacy
Prof. Dr. Tarhan pointed out that approaches such as parents moderately taking family photos with their children and making social media posts believed to positively contribute to the child's life are innocent shares, saying, "Parents making warm shares with teenagers has a positive effect on their developing psyche. Sharing moments where they chat and travel together is beneficial as long as it is not exaggerated. However, it is necessary to pay attention to exaggerated content that gives wrong messages. In that case, the situation becomes abuse and harms privacy. Indeed, for a child, abuse means the violation of privacy."