Diving Into Pros and Cons of Social Media For Youth

Most teens in modern society have some sort of technology within their reach. As social media has become the norm to the youth, many don’t see its negative impact it has on their lives. There are definelety both pros and cons of social media for youth, this essay shows how most of these issues appear in struggles like mental health, bullying, and low self esteem. For example, in the article “Gen Z is quitting social media in droves because it makes them unhappy, study finds”. By Oliver McAteer “In March 2018, it was reported that more than a third of the Generation Z from a survey of 1,000 individuals stated that they were quitting social media, 41% stated that social media platforms make them feel anxious, sad or depressed”. Hence this means that social media is creating a problem for our future generations. Moreover, social media has a negative impact in our society because it has shown false expectations such as; affecting the mindset of young ones, to the extent of becoming addicted to some. We may think that teens know their way around networks and media but most teens do not realize the negativity that media is bringing to their minds. Let’s not forget that it has taken a toll on our daily lives because we spend every looking at our screens.

First, if we look at when social media began, we should reflect back to 1997 when the first ever blogging site was developed. In the article “The Complete History Of Social Media: Then and Now” by Hendricks Drew he states that“ Six degrees, was created…. [which] enabled users to upload a profile and make friends with other users. In 1999, the first blogging sites became popular” but it hasn't always been out of control. As famous sites like MySpace and Tumblr started to connect people from all over. They allowed people from all over to create an online community. That was the point of social media in the beginning, to be able to create this circle of people who have the same interests as you or can relate to. As time has advanced people started to overlook the idea of a humble online community and have used it to either show off what they wanted others to think they have or to simply spread hate. For example, in a recent hate shooting towards jewish people sparked a commotion in the media. According to an article ““On Instagram, 11,696 Examples of How Hate Thrives on Social Media.” by Sheera Frenkel “A search for the word “Jews” displayed 11,696 posts with the hashtag “#jewsdid911,” claiming that Jews had orchestrated the Sept. 11 terror attacks” , not only are these hatred comments spread. But most of these social media companies don't do anything to regulate what these people are posting. People who often think it's acceptable to say hateful comments towards certain races are the ones who feel the most empowered because they hide behind a screen without facing any consequences.

Furthermore, when we take a look at why social media has become so addictive we see that most people are always checking their phones, in the article “ Is your smartphone making you sick” by Carrier Clinic ̈ the average smartphone user checks their phone over 150 times each day”. This is one of the main concerns that is currently affecting teenagers all around the world, not only are they always on their phones but they forget to interact with one another to the point where a “hang out” becomes a let's go on our phones right next to each other, it's become a problem for people all over. People can literally get into dangerous situations because they aren't checking their surroundings, for example, they stare down at their screens while they are walking to the point where they are causing accidents. In the article “Smartphones and the Rise of Child Accidents” by Jon Henley he states that “in America, towns have started fining pedestrians who use smartphones while they're walking”. As bizarre as it sounds, it has come to a point where we now can not walk without having a phone in our hands. From personal experience, I have almost bumped into people because I was trying to send a text out and although it doesn't seem bad but it does seem a bit excessive to be glued to your device.

On the other hand, social media is also feeding teens wrong body expectations. This means that without even trying, your feed has become posts full of “healthy living” with instagram models promoting fit teas and making sure we know what the “perfect” body looks like. According to an article “Eating Disorders.” by Mental Health Foundation “1.25 million people in the UK suffering from disordered eating.” And with posts of skinny bodies it's only feeding the number. Teens shouldn't have any expectations of their bodies, they should be confident within their own skin and not be pressured into molding their bodies into “barbies”.

Social media is creating unrealistic expectations of a perfect life. Lives on social media are always displayed as better than what they really are because online you can show your life as whatever you want and hide the truth behind a screen. Social media can also make people feel lonely. In the article “Feeling Lonely? Too Much Time On Social Media May Be Why” by Katherine Hobson she states “For young adults, social media may not be social after all…...The images of other people’s seemingly perfect vacations, homes and lives, even though those are not likely to represent reality, can make you feel like you're missing out”. 'This indicates that social media can even make people feel lonely or like their life isn't adventurous or as exciting, which is not very healthy especially if young kids are on social media and are questioning why they might not have these luxurious lives. It’s causing a lot more mental health problems among teens. Most teens spend hours daily on social media which can affect them mentally. In an article “Is Social Media Bad for You? The Evidence and the Unknowns.”by Jessica Brownit states that “two studies involving more than 700 students found that depressive symptoms, such as low mood and feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, were linked to the quality of online interactions”. Cyberbullying is worse than bullying because you are being hurt menatlly/emotionally and that can stay with you your whole life. Not only that but when it comes to online you can't really get away from it because we are living in a technology world where even refrigerators are becoming computers. The world is innovating which can only mean more people online and more depression and bullying can come with it.

For example, it is causing some teens to even lose sleep. Teen’s bodies need about 8-9 hours of sleep a day. In the article by National sleep foundation they discovered that “Most teens do not get enough sleep one study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on a school night”. If these teens are staying up all night on social media we can imagine how this can affect their school work. As a consequence, this can lead to sleeping in class, feeling tired, not focusing, and having mood swings. Parents/teachers can understand if a student needs to stay up to do work, they might have procrastinated but staying up to browse the internet isn't very acceptable. Not only that but then these teens can start to develop sleep deprivation and they are not even in college yet, which just goes to show how addictive it can be. It starts to become addicted to many. In the article ““Social Media Addiction - Addiction Center.” by Addiction Center “psychologists estimate that as many as 5 to 10% of Americans meet the criteria for social media addiction today”. This means that people are consisting worrying about checking their social media and making sure they are on it 24/7. Not only is this highly unhealthy but this just starts to become absurd to literally be diagnosed with an addiction over a phone is a crazy phenomenal. We let these networks control us to the point where doctors are not calling it an addiction. If no one sees a problem with media now then how far does it have to go until we finally take a stand together and help our kids for the future generations.

The people just keep getting younger and younger on these social media apps in an article “What's the Age When Kids Start Social Media?” by Jaqueline Howard “ The report found that, overall, 56% of the children had their own social media accounts, based on the parents' survey responses.” This means that people online can literally be as young as 9 years old and we wouldn't even know it because online you can be whoever you want to be and I know that because I remember creating accounts using fake birthdays because there was a certain age requirement, if I’m smart enough to get around the age restrictions imagine what kids nowadays are getting themselves into without even having to actually identify who they are and their age. This is becoming a big concern especially when there are adults on these social networks as well. Now some may argue that social media is essentially an outlet for young people to be creative, for example, in the article “Positive Effects of Social Media on Your Teen.”by Lauren May she states that “ for young people who like to write or create graphics and digital designs, social media is an ideal place to share their work and get encouragement and feedback from others”. But what happens when they start getting negative comments or feedback? How do they process reality hitting them in the face with backlash about their “creativity”, it's not going to do them any good and they're young, they don't need to be getting feedback from people who are just going to tear them down they can wait until they get out in the real world.

In these paragraphs we've explored what disadvantages social media has for youth. Nevertheless, here we will write about both pros and cons of social media for students/youth, and one of the main pros of social media is that it provides young people with an opportunity to connect and interact with their peers. Social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, allow young people to maintain contact with friends, make new connections, and form communities around shared interests. This can be especially important for young people who are isolated or marginalized in their offline lives, providing them with a sense of belonging and support. Another benefit of social media for youth is that it can facilitate learning and knowledge sharing. Many social media platforms offer educational resources and opportunities, such as online courses and tutorials, that can help young people develop new skills and gain knowledge. Additionally, social media can provide access to a wealth of information and news that can broaden young people's horizons and perspectives. Social media can also be a platform for young people to express themselves creatively. Many young people use social media to share their art, music, writing, and other forms of creative expression with others, allowing them to connect with an audience and receive feedback and validation. Furthermore, social media can provide young people with opportunities for activism and social change. Many young people use social media to raise awareness about important social and political issues, organize protests and events, and advocate for change.

To conclude, social media has been a rapidly growing sensation since it was first discovered. Although it has its great benefits to help people connect from all over the world. Its negative impact overshines the positive ones which means it's becoming a problem for young people. Social media has a negative impact in our society because it has shown false expectations, such as; affecting the mindset of young ones, to the extent of becoming addicted to some. Overall, social media will continue to grow and progress but we can at least help avoid the negativity that it comes with. In order for our teenagers and children to get a chance to have a normal childhood without the input of so much social media at such a young age.

References

• Brown, Jessica. “Is Social Media Bad for You? The Evidence and the Unknowns.” BBC Future, BBC, 5 Jan. 2018, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns.Accessed on October 6 2019
• “Eating Disorders.” Mental Health Foundation, 28 May 2019, https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/e/eating-disorders. Accessed on November 5 2019
• Frenkel, Sheera, et al. “On Instagram, 11,696 Examples of How Hate Thrives on Social Media.”
• The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Oct. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/technology/hate-on-social-media.html. Accessed on October 6 2019
• Hendricks, Drew. “The Complete History of Social Media: Then And Now.” Small Business Trends, 6 May 2013, https://smallbiztrends.com/2013/05/the-complete-history-of-social-media-infographic.html. Accessed on October 6 2019
• Henley, Jon. “Smartphones and the Rise of Child Accidents.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 June 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2013/jun/18/smartphones-and-rise-of-child-accidents. Accessed on October 6 2019
• Hobson, Katherine. “Feeling Lonely? Too Much Time On Social Media May Be Why.” NPR, 6 Mar. 2017, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/06/518362255/feeling-lonely-too-much-time-on-social-media-may-be-why.
• Howard, Jacqueline. “What's the Age When Kids Start Social Media?” CNN, Cable News Network, 22 June 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/22/health/social-media-for-kids-parent-curve/index.html.
• “Is Your Smartphone Making You Sick?” Carrier Clinic, 8 Aug. 2019, https://carrierclinic.org/2019/08/08/is-your-smartphone-making-you-sick/. Accessed on October 6 2019
• May, Lauren. “Positive Effects of Social Media on Your Teen.” Family Orbit Blog, 19 July 2019, https://www.familyorbit.com/blog/the-positive-effects-of-social-media-on-your-teen/. Accessed on November 5 2019
• McAteer, Oliver. “Gen Z Is Quitting Social Media in Droves Because It Makes Them Unhappy, Study Finds.” PR Week, PR Week Global, 4 Apr. 2019, https://www.prweek.com/article/1459149/gen-z-quitting-social-media-droves-makes-unhappy-study-finds. Accessed on October 6 2019
• “Sleep for Teenagers.” National Sleep Foundation, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/teens-and-sleep. Accessed on November 5 2019
• “Social Media Addiction - Addiction Center.” AddictionCenter, https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/.