Posted: July 14th, 2022

Adolescents and social media influence

Adolescents and social media influence
With major technological advancements, social media has become a major part of many teenagers’ lives. A recent study at Pew Research center in 2018 involving around 750 teens showed that more than 95% of the teenagers have at least one social media profile, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. Approximately 63% of them reported using social media every day, while 43% said they were online almost constantly. A Common Sense Media report showed that 75% of American teenagers have social media profiles, with Facebook being their main social networking platform. But like any other technology, social media has both positive and negative influences on teen users.
Positive effects
Major psychological developments that occur during adolescence rely heavily on social interactions. Different social media platforms provide an environment where teens can create friendships, chat, and share their feelings and experiences. When used appropriately, social media can help teenagers develop and improve their social, communication, and technical skills.
Social media also acts as an entertainment platform where teenagers can express themselves and discover their talents. These platforms also provide news helping teenagers stay informed. Teenagers can also learn a variety of subjects and adopt new and healthy behaviors. Through such meaningful distractions, teenagers can boost their confidence and avoid depression and other psychological issues.
Negative effects
Despite the positive impacts, the risks cannot be ignored. Because of the limited ability to self-regulate and increased susceptibility to peer pressure, adolescents are at an elevated risk of major threats. Social media presents a perfect and unrealistic view of various aspects of life. Teenagers who subject themselves to such harmful comparisons can develop low self-esteem because they don’t meet these standards.
Another major threat is cyberbullying. Teenagers will post almost anything on social media without minding the impact it might have on the receiving end. Cyberbullying may also involve anonymous activities like trolling, unpleasant emails, or direct criticism from the public. This might impact the victim’s mental by causing depression and anxiety. Other weaknesses of social media include internet addiction and sleep deprivation.
Extensive social networking also results in loss of privacy, sharing personal and sensitive information, and disconnecting from reality. Signing into any social media site and sharing information creates a digital footprint that can have detrimental consequences later in life.
In summary, it is how a teen uses social networking that determines the impact. Studies have shown that the longer the time spent on social media, the more the negative impacts. Parents should also intervene to limit the negative effects by setting reasonable time limits and privacy settings, monitoring the activities on their teen’s accounts, having candid conversations about social media, and encouraging more physical friendships.

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