Social Media And Modern Age Teenagers

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.

Social media plays an important role in the lives of teenagers and potentially young women. It can actually be a big influencer on their decisions being as it’s a place to express yourself in many ways even if those ways put off negative connotations to those around. Daily on social media you typically see a lot of ads, people who you might perceive as “beautiful” or “pretty”, along with statuses and pictures that talk about how the “perfect” relationship or person should be. As a teenager myself, I recognize that a lot of young girls struggle with finding themselves and wanting to be different. Females in general have a hard time This current generation of teenagers are more concerned with social media sites like facebook, instagram, twitter, and snapchat. More people are concerned with the number of likes or favorites they get rather than actual important or real world things. For a teen that struggles with self-esteem issues, it could be confusing to see a lot of “pretty” girls and not know why you don’t or can not look like them. Social media when used addictively has negative or harmful effects on young girls self-esteem.

We are dictated by social media. It’s controlling. It’s possessive. Yet, we haven’t even paused to realize it because as teenagers we don’t know any differently. With teens as the subject of example, it is clear that social media has become a way of life. So now there is a debate. What exactly is it that social media does to us? Is the teenage generation the first product of a world run by social media? Most importantly, is this a positive or negative thing for us? There are many different things to consider. With all factors in mind, the biggest question of all comes to mind. Since it first emerged, what has social media truly changed about today’s teen generation?

About how many kids currently have cell phones? Some people believe that kids don't need a cell phone. Others think that kids do need a cellphone. The use of cell phones by adolescents poses many challenges and benefits.

Social media is another way of communication through technology. The social media trend is growing rapidly. It has become a daily routine for most people. Social media is affecting the world in many different ways. It was initially made to be a positive way of communicating, but over the years it has has a lot of negative impacts. One of the most known impacts is cyberbullying. Cyber Bullying is deliberately using digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about another person (Niemer 4). Although many adults experience this issue it is more common in teenagers. “For many teens, he explains, social media is not just apart of their life, it is their social world” (qtd. in Niemer 9). Studies show that 95 percent of ages between 12 and 17 have access to social media and 15 percent had experienced cyberbullying (Horn). These acts have caused depression in most teenagers. “In fact, a number of studies have found a connection between depression and social media victimization” (Miller 387). Some teenagers are even afraid to stand up for themselves. The usage of social media has caused an increase in fear.

Social Media has a negative impact on making real-life communication difficult for the younger generations. These social platforms were made to improve communication between one another, with actually creating a negative effect on interpersonal socialization. Teenagers exposed to social media might be attacked virtually by cyber bullies who send threatening messages. Other teens could have their identity stolen for someone to use it for luring other teenagers into a fictional relationship. With social media expanding all communication is focus towards instant messaging through Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. The benefits of social media are outweighed by the effects of cyberbullying, “catfishing”, and absence of social skills.

Technology has become a growing industry, intriguing adolescences to explore the numerous different ways of interaction. Cell phones, lap tops, and tablets are new compelling products for teens, which allow effortless access to social media. A national survey in 2009 finds that 73% of online teenagers use SNS (social network systems), which is an increase from 55% 3 years earlier. (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, & Zickuhr, 2010) As technology became an everyday use, more people became distracted by social media websites. Social media has affected the generation of the 21st century by weakening interaction skills, increasing cyber bullying, and impacting learning behaviors.

A lot of young teens depend on social media and texting as a main source of communication, which interferes with face-to-face communication. This is a huge concern for many because it does not help with social interactions. Young teens rather communicate through social networks, rather than having a normal conversation in person. Eventually, this can lead to horrible communication skills and social skills. However, there is a study that states young teens "stay in touch day-to-day and directly communicate with one another that can nurture and develop the relationship with feelings of connection that can sustain over time" (Schwartz). Yong teens using social media is not necessarily a horrid source

Now more than ever living in the age of technology, social media has impacted our lives

There are a lot of concerns with younger adolescents using social media. To begin, there are a lot of anonymous users that disguise themselves online to predatory towards younger girls. A famous television show named: How to Catch a Predator, have been evidence towards this situation. Younger girls can even boys could be exposed to unwanted sexual advances which could be mentally detrimental. Thus connecting to how younger adolescents shouldn’t be able to have social media accounts. Next, privacy settings on certain social media accounts could be compromised and information could be leaked to the public eye. There have been studies that have stated that many people who do have social media accounts with safety settings have a feeling of being safe but not as safe as they thought they would be (E. Warren, personal communication, May 24, 2017).

“The influence of social media on adolescents and teenagers is of particular importance, not only because this specific group of children are developmentally vulnerable but also because they are amongst the heaviest users of social networking,” Suren Ramasubbu social media and internet use by teenagers is at an all time high, and many are concerned with the effects it is having on young people, especially their health (6). Technology is currently harming teens’ sleep, increasing their episodes of depression, and contributing to their obesity.

“You’re really fat!”.. “You’re so ugly!”.. “You’re so stupid!”.. “You’re so worthless!”.. “You’re a piece of shit!”.. “You’re such a bitch!”.. “Go kill yourself loser!”.. “You’re so weird!”.. “Nobody likes you!” The 2011 hit feature Cyberbully stresses how comments on social media can lead a teenager to consider and possibly attempt suicide. As of 2015, people all around the world use over 1000 social networking sites. Some of the most common social media sites include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat. Technological communication between teenagers does not end with only social media sites; teenagers text, email, Skype, Facetime, oovoo, and talk on the phone. A recorded 73 percent of teenagers own a phone and 85 percent of those phones are smartphones. Out of these smartphone owners, 92 percent of them admitted to going online every day. (venturebeat.com) Although technology is a convenience to us now, it is also a huge contributor to the cyber bullying which may lead to teen suicides throughout the world.

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.

Physical abuse and bullying happen all the time in schools. It is a constant problem for teenagers and even pre-teens. Now that we have internet and social media popping up like popcorn, picking and cyberbullying is easier than ever. Social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., have become known as the well-known pastime for teenagers today. What is “social media” anyway? From the internet, the definition of social media is “website and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.” Media of course is supposed to be for fun and allow others to communicate with their friends and family, but there is also another side of it. The internet has two sides, good and evil.

young person’s life these days, whether it’s revealing too much info about their boyfriend or girlfriend on Snapchat, having public spats with their friends on Twitter, or inadvertently inviting gatecrashers by posting party details on Facebook. Whether it’s at school or at home, social media impacted many people’s lives with its advance technology and fast speed messages. Social media has targeted teens into keeping a status online so that everyone who uses social media can see