preview

Social Media Influence On Teenagers

Better Essays

A Teenager’s life is not like it was for their parents. A generation ago, kids went out, hung out, did “stuff”. Now all they want to do is be in their rooms, on the computer or their phone, or both. Texting, sharing, gaming, liking, commenting constantly can’t prepare them for “real life”. This reliance on electronic devices can’t be good. How will they learn to relate to each other, to problem solve, to exist when the power goes out? The enormous amount of time spent online and plugged-in is harmful to a teenager’s development. Teens are online. It’s not just some of them, it is nearly all of them. According to Common Sense Media’s report Social Media, Social Life: How Teens View Their Digital Lives, a survey on teen social media habits, 90% of teenagers have used social media. Also, they are connected all the time. In another Common Sense Media report, The Common Sense Census: Media Use By Tweens and Teens, reporting on all media usage by teenagers, “On any given day, American teenagers (13- to 18-year-olds) average about nine hours (8:56) of entertainment media use, excluding time spent at school or for homework.” The different subgroups in the report split their time differently utilizing television, gaming, social networking, and other activities according to their desires. Whatever the combination of activities, altogether they average almost nine hours daily. Making an assumption of eight hours for sleep and seven hours in school, a teen is plugged-in the rest of

Get Access