The Negative Effects Of Social Media Use By Adolescents

Social media is nothing, but a distracting, timewasting, nuisance to everyone surrounded by it, right? Wrong. Social media has changed the world as we know it. People can share information quickly, publish their thoughts, and exchange their ideas. Social media is becoming a certainty in this modern age, which is why it should be embraced rather than criticized. Although there is concern over potential for cyberbullying and lack of privacy, the use of social media is inevitable in teenagers’ lives, and necessary to the positive development of adolescents because it allows adolescents to gain confidence when interacting with others, it encourages users to create and maintain friendships, and it can facilitate learning while promoting educational growth.

The use of social media and the role it plays in the life of an adolescent: specifically an increase of depressive symptoms, anxiety, disruptive sleep patterns, and at times conflict filled family relationships are dynamics that are still actively researched. Parenting teenagers in the digital age does not come with a how-to manual and there are no easy answers. However, there are trends and longitudinal studies that support the following hypothesis’: 1) The adolescent’s brain is undeveloped and influenced by the depth of it’s social network. Isolation, particularly in females can cause an increase in the ideation of suicidal thoughts, further, mental illness and sociability share a commonality. 2) Professionals such as pediatricians or trusted professionals should be a resource to help parents navigate the use of social media and their adolescent. There are pros and cons to the use of social media and striking the correct balance is not a simple task. 3) Social media use specifically at night, interferes with sleep patterns, quality of sleep, will to exercise and an increase in anxiety and depression. This impacts a person across a spectrum, from grades to interactions with family members.

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).

Melissa Healy, a reporter of the Los Angeles Times, in the article Teenage Social Media Butterflies May Not Be Such A Bad Idea, claims that kids who spend lots of time on social media are not the least well-adjusted, but psychologically healthiest. Healy supports her argument by demonstrating how social media is beneficial to a teen’s health. According to a three-year Digital Youth Project, when teengars use social media, it helps them develop important social skills such as communication, grappling with social norms, and developing technical skills. Psychology professor Kaveri Subrahmanyam describes that teens behave the same between offline relationships and online ones, so most teens will use the internet safely. The author’s purpose is

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are commonly used among the younger generations, but can the excessive use of these apps cause mayhem? According to a new study conducted by the Family Technology Education Non-Profit Group, teenagers are spending nearly 9 hours a day on social media. The excessive use of social media is a bad influence on adolescents because of the negative impacts it has. Social media can cause direct impacts to the mental health, safety, and lives of its users. Teenagers need to ensure that they are being cautious and responsible while using different social media networks.

Social media has been known to help students develop important knowledge and social skills. “At first glance this may seem like a waste of time; however it also helps students to develop important knowledge and social skills, and be active citizens who create and share content.” (Chen 3). The more time teens spend on social media the more they become aware of their own social side and how to interact with others, especially their peers. “Some types of social media has beneficial effects, like helping adolescents establish some sense of identity and build networking skills” (Riley Davis). Too much time being spent on social media can also exploit teens to some harsh realities that they’ve probably never experienced in their lives before.

Over 94% of American teenagers claim to access social media daily, today teenagers and social media tend to be the butt in everybody’s joke, but what are the effects of social media? Bethany Mota is a 21-year-old women who has been able to start her own fashion line at the age of 17 because of social media. Amanda Todd was just 16 when she decided to end her life, due to the fact that she was persecuted relentlessly on social media sites. Many young people get bullied or harassed through social media daily, while others are given amazing opportunities to express themselves and connect with others with the same passions as them. So, what is the impact of teenage participation in social media?

Nobody is immune to the harmful side effects social media including privacy invasion, cyberbullying, depression, anxiety, and lack of empathy. The negative risks involved with the extensive use of social media by youngsters are significantly serious than the few positive things they get out of using social media. Youngsters should be educated about negative consequences of social media so that they won’t get trapped by social media. Appropriate use of social media by youngsters is required to minimize the negative

The social media is widely used in this generation, as 68% of American adults use Facebook, and 28% of them use Instagram, while 26% for Pinterest, and 21% for Twitter (Greenwood et al.). Besides, the Consumer Reports magazine states that “more than 7 million active users of Facebook were under the minimum required age of 13” and “over 5 million were 10 or younger” (Strom and Strom).

An overview of the literature discusses the influence media portrays on adolescents. Some propose that the authors are projecting that the youth are negatively effected by the media. Others, however, believe that violence portrayed by the media does not have any real long-term effects on the well being on youths. The three articles selected consider their evidence for this controversial subject.

According to “Mixed Perceptions About Kids Using Digital Media,” kids and teenagers ranging from ages 8-18 spend an average of 7 ½ hours a day using digital media. Kids and teenagers use social media for different reasons. For example, some feel like they want to fit in with the “cool kids” by having multiple social media apps. Having the latest and greatest devices, trends, and social media is the biggest culprit of peer pressure in this day and age. They may not realize it, but by using social networks it opens up a whole new world of danger, risks, and

The relevance and use of social media has increased over the past twenty years and has become a permanent aspect of society. Social media is defined as a set of internet-based tools that support social interactions which encompass a variety of technologies, including online social networks, examples of which include Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram (National Research Council). According to a recent study performed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, twenty-two percent of teens access the social media platform that they prefer more than ten times in a single day, and “more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day” (O'Keeffe). As the dependence on social media continues to rise, the controversy surrounding the effects it has on our society continues to grow. This reliance has changed our interpersonal communication skills and how we relate to one another as well as our self-perception. As we continue to expand knowledge and use of technology as an accepted means of social interaction, this addiction will continue. The impact of social media has negatively changed how we communicate, view ourselves, and how crime is carried out.

In today’s society, social media is the most sought-after activity of people all around the world, especially adolescents. Social media websites include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These sites offer a gateway for communication and entertainment. These social network sites have both positive and negative impacts on adolescents. Adolescents at this stage in their lives are vulnerable and susceptible to all things around them. These social sites are a major disconnect from reality, portraying and exposing adolescents to alcohol, violence, and other inappropriate behaviors. On the other hand, social networking plays a role in social interactions and helping to enhance technical skills. Social networking for adolescents have both pros and

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.