Effects Of Social Media On Teens

Social media, it has taken the lives of everyone who has heard it over the years from teens to adult and changing the life of everyone. But, has social media been harming the minds of the new generations? Being in a world where social media is available to approximately everyone, many have been affected negatively by social media.

We live in an era ruled by social media, primarily when it comes to teenagers, social media is used for everything. From communicating with family and friends to being used as a news outlet, and even advertisement for business and companies. This article is titled “Social Media: What's Not to Like,” written by Alison Pearce Stevens. The topic of this essay is the effect social media can have on teenagers. Social media, on one hand, can be used as a great way to share with the world and boost teens’ self-esteem. On the other hand, social media can be used as a place for bullying, body shaming and can cause depression or even suicide in teens.

Older generations don’t realize how much technology has affected this generation of teenagers, along with the social media that comes along with the technology. As stated in “How Social Media Changed Teens’ Lives Forever”; “Negative posts or comments also can do great damage to a teen’s self-esteem.” (Ashley Black, Thomas Atseff and Colleen Kaveney) While many parents think social media is just a way to connect with others, many teenagers take it for granted. For example, “quitting social media because it made her miserable and obsessed with appearing perfect online”, is what a teenager felt about social media and what it has done to her. Though many think that social media is a great way to connect, teenagers take it to another level.

Social media seems to be changing how we communicate through society. Adolescents are consumed with media for an estimated 7.5-8.5 hours per day (Georgia, 2014; Giedd, 2012). Instead of interacting with each other face to face adolescents are socializing through their phones (George, 2014). The purpose of the paper was to research how social media affects the brain, sleep, and cyberbullying (Lemola, Perkinson- Gloor, Brand, Dewald- Kaufmann, & Grob, 2014; Mills, 2014; Betts & Spenser, 2017).

Let me guess you probably checked Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat in the last five minutes. Nowadays it seems like all we do is go on social media, considering that it has been on the rise for the last decade. On average a teenager is an electronic device for more than three hours a day. (Curtis, Sweeny). What we do on a day to day basis is determined by how much time we spend on those sites. Since we spend so much time on social media, can it have a negative effect on teenagers? Is social media dangerous or are there benefits to it? Just how social media is on the rise so are these questions, which have researchers wondering on the effects of social media as teens continue to let it control the way they spending their time. (Goff).

Social media is the way teens network. It includes applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where individuals can connect, share photographs, and like others posts or images. These applications can be accessed through electronic devices such as iPads, phones, computers, etc. It is known to educate, engage, and impact individuals and their environment. The most well-known theory is that an individual can control what he/she sees, considers, or feels about a topic. To some degree this is valid. Nevertheless, does teenagers know that social media influence them in some way? Social networking is harming to a teens growth as it boosts their online identities, separates them from the universe of social connection, occupies their attention from television, and it also affects relationships. The 21st century has seen the internet change into a device that has made communication less severe and handier. This change occurred rapidly with thoughts of social networks that would allow the association of individuals in various nations. Teenagers, being the principle players of the online networks, has been caught *up in the blend of social networking as they have developed into a period where innovation has reformed the way individuals approach their day by day routines. However, because of the extreme measure of time spent on these sites, they are left to result in pessimistic consequences for their advancement.

Although cell phones unify the online world, they cause teens to be distracted and unable to focus on what’s going on around them. Teens are attached to their phones, they never leave their sides and are constantly being checked for new notifications. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat keeps teens involved in the online world. Teens are interested in what’s going on around them and want to stay informed. Cell phone have a way of connecting today’s youth but have become extremely distracting. This attachment is causing teens to suffer without knowing. The daily lives of today’s youth are being interfered due to the constant use of cell phones.

Modern media such as T.V., films, and social medias (mainly Tumblr) frequently advertise a parade of skinny models and actresses. These appearances, more often than not, make teenage girls self conscious about their weight and physical appearance. Anorexia is most common around females, especially women. “47% of girls in the 5th-12th grade reported wanting to see weight loss because of magazine pictures.” Success and worth are often associated with being thin and/or skinny. Peer pressure plays major roles in a teenager’s environment and peer pressure may help fuel the desire to be “perfect”, and to be perfect, you have to be thin.

For many years, social media has been the number one resource teens in today 's generation depend on. It has provided an advantage to communicate with family members and it has given many the opportunity to make new friends. However, with the use of social media, teens are becoming antisocial. Amy Jo Martin stated, “Social media is changing the way we communicate and the way we are perceived, both positively and negatively. Everytime you post a photo, or update your status, you are contributing to your own digital footprint and personal brand.” Personally, I see it everyday, people reaching out to their mobile devices to view their notifications and their social media constantly. It 's almost as if social media has absorbed teens. Andrea Nakaya, in her book, titled “Internet and Social Media Addiction”, stated that about 73% of teens use some type of social media. Due to this, teens should consider reducing the amount of time spent on social media because in the end it can have a negative impact in their lives.

Recent studies have shown that 23% of teens say that they have been the target of a bully online, and getting bullied can lead up to teen depression. Another 15% said that they were the ones bullying other teens. Most teens sleep with their phones, and most don't go to bed when they’re told to, but some teens do. Because the blue light that comes from the phone is bad for some people's eyes, and most teens are sleep deprived of being on their phones too much at night. Some teens do nothing but go on their phones/social medias, “Kids ages 8 to 12, or teens, are spending about six hours in front of screens.” Yet again a lot of teens are really active and play sports. For those who aren't, most are getting or are obese from not doing anything the whole day, and just being on their phones. Social media can lead up to teen depression, loss of sleep, and it decreases in physical fitness.

The reality of our current generation is that the technology, such as cellphones, has taken over. Children used to go outside and play with toys, but now children demand to play on cellular devices. As they grow older, the amount of time spent on these devices among young individuals gradually begins to increase. Cell phones are often viewed as a device that are useful in many ways such as being able to call family and friends or using it as a GPS to navigate on the roads ;however, individuals aren’t aware of the negative effects cellphones have on their lives. Unfortunately, teenagers are the most affected by smartphones. Today across America, the percentage of cell phone usage among teens increases each day. Whether it’s using social media, texting, or calling, teenagers are often distracted by these devices and it is getting out of control. Cellphones have become one of the biggest priorities among teens. The amount of time spent on cellphones needs to be cut down with the help of disciplinary actions from parents. The excessive amounts of time spent on social media everyday leads to a lack of social skills and problems mentally and physically. At social gatherings it’s becoming common to witness teenagers staring down into their cellular devices instead of communicating with the ones around them. Hearing the sound of a notification instantly gives them the urge to check their phones even when it’s not the appropriate time to

As time has progressed, social media and the internet have advanced significantly, becoming easier to access with a touch of a button. Our society has become reliant on social media, and today’s younger generation cannot avoid using it in their everyday lives. However, these advancements come with costs. These effects are neither completely bad or good because social media provides both positive and negative consequences to youth’s relationships. Due to the rapid advancement of the internet and social media, the world’s youth’s real-life relationship with their peers has been affected both positively and negatively.

For American teen’s, cellphones have become a vital social tool and texting the preferred communication method. Anywhere you go, you are most likely to observe the exact same scenario. A group of friends are sitting together, supposedly meeting up for a bite to eat and a time to catch up. Yet, all you notice is not only are they not speaking, they all have their noses buried in iPhones and eyes solely focused on the bright screen. It is disheartening to think that we could be so attached to such small piece of technology that we can’t put it down. They have become the center of our lives, replacing important people and moments. According to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation, children and adolescents of 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day on computers and phones, compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago (Lewin, “If Your Kids Are Awake”). With phones and computers being so easily

The internet has revolutionized the way of communicating. Social media has transformed the way of expressing ideas, sharing feelings, and relating to people. While young people are more connected online than ever, they were never more socially disconnected with each other. Because of the emotionless nature of the Net young people shut down and are left dumbfounded when confronted with real-life events in the classroom and over social activities. As a result, teenagers long for real-life interactions and meaningful life experiences without knowing where to begin.

Some of the top benefits of social media over the years are that it is free to anyone, the content can get out to resources virtually immediately, and it can be delivered to a wide variety of people. For these reasons, communication through social media has become an extremely accessible and convenient way to communicate. It is also popular for those who need to be in contact with others. One example that comes to mind is a teenager who goes away on a trip to visit a friend or family. They can be hundreds of miles away but still talk to their parents as if they weren’t. Another example is a person who is shy and has a hard time making friends face-to-face, social media sites are a great way to meet people and build relationships.