Facebook is Not Good for the Youth Essay Example

Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. As enormous as it is, Facebook has a significant impact on society. Its sociological and psychological effects on the youth have become rampant and destructive. Every youth may own several Facebook accounts, if not one, as this social media provides the best platform to express one's views and opinions on various subject matters. Krasnova et al. (2013) indicate that Facebook represents the most prominent social information database the world has ever seen. Its psychological impacts on the youth have become a significant social issue among young Facebook users. Therefore, the paper evaluates Facebook's impact on the youth through the lens of addiction, depression and anxiety, envy, and self-harm as the criteria to prove how the platform has created social issues among youths. Numerous concerns have been brought forward by various people on what Facebook is doing to young people. It is crucial to evaluate the subject because it has a tremendous implication on numerous people, and many youths have destroyed their lives because of Facebook. Facebook is not suitable for the youth because it causes psychological issues such as addiction, depression and anxiety, envy, and self-harm.

Evaluation of Perspectives

​The first reason to avoid Facebook as a youth is that it causes addiction. Based on this perspective, excessive use of Facebook can be detrimental to social relationships and health. If an individual delay or disrupts his or her sleep to engage with others on Facebook, displays a sign of addiction, and as a result, the individual may not get the required rest. Hong et al. (2013) indicate that Facebook addiction occurs when users spend a lot of time on the platform, in which they can be addicted to the site or a specific internet content in the platform. Addiction is a significant social issue due to its impact on youth psychology. Facebook addiction is connected to numerous psychological traits such as sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem, and introversion (Hong et al., 2013). According to the perspective, Facebook addiction is the root of all psychological issues among young people. On the objection, Facebook has become an incredible platform for mental health improvement. The impact of Facebook depends on how it is used. Disciplined use of Facebook cannot cause addiction. It is a platform where individuals learn to enhance their self-esteem, especially when connecting with friends. According to Shaikh (2021), Facebook helps young people to network and as a means to interact with others; hence, the psychological trait of loneliness can be eliminated, and there will be no addiction. Nevertheless, not all Facebook young users are disciplined or know the advantages of Facebook. Hence, excessive chatting, browsing photos, and reading posts are what cause addiction in Facebook. Therefore, from the criterion, it can be concluded that Facebook addiction is one of the psychological issues affecting the youth.

​Another reason to avoid excessive use of Facebook apart from the cause of addiction is the cause of depression and anxiety. The criterion evaluates how young Facebook users have entered into depression and anxiety because of Facebooking. Schwartz et al. (2014) posit that social media messages are the primary contributors to depression. The youth are highly active on Facebook, and the varying language and comments utilized can induce depression. Most Facebook users are stressed because of some negative comments on their posts from their Facebook friends. There is a high correlation between the time spent on Facebook and depression and anxiety (Labrague, 2014). Continuous reading of negative comments about yourself on Facebook affects psychological stability. When the user makes an unfavorable comparison between himself and others, it can cause depression. Continuous comparison, specifically upward comparison, creates a feeling of low self-esteem and unwontedness in society, which can be stressful and result in depression and anxiety. To object, a social connection on Facebook can reduce depression and anxiety among the youth. Some people require connection with others to avoid depression, and Facebook provides means to that connection. It is a platform that boasts mutual support groups for individuals with social issues and teaches young people how to handle stress (Mental Help, 2020). Hence, Facebook can help reduce depression and anxiety. Nonetheless, Facebook remains the number one platform where cyberbullying is experienced, and cyberbullying can lead to depression. Also, most youths do not know the numerous support groups on Facebook that can provide help. Therefore, they end up stressed and depressed.

​In addition to addiction and depression, and anxiety, Facebook is not suitable for the youth because it causes envy. Envy and jealousy are used interchangeably and are essential criteria because they are correlated to other psychological impacts of Facebook. A high degree of envy resulting from excessive use of Facebook depicts low self-esteem, stress and it is a precursor to depression. Envy occurs due to upward comparison, where a young Facebook user compares himself or herself to others' physical characteristics, achievements, and accomplishments. Pera (2018) indicates that envy in Facebook occurs when individuals express self-reported inferiority and decreased self-confidence after correlating themselves to others. As a result, exaggerated envy affects the psychological stability of the individual. Others argue that envy is common in human nature and it cannot lead to psychological impacts. According to Shaikh (2021), Facebook helps young people showcase their talents; hence, instead of feeling and being fixed in envy, the user tries to understand their talents. Many young people have built/improve themselves through Facebooking by sharing and learning from others. Thus, envy is not a good criterion to judge the good and the bad of Facebook on the youth. To counter the objection, Facebook causes more adverse feelings to the youth than beneficial feelings, as Pere (2018) indicated. Those who negatively perceive themselves are highly vulnerable to envy and jealousy, which can lead to depression.

​Lastly, Facebook is not good for the youth not only because of addiction, depression and anxiety, and envy, but also self-harm. Self-harm is the final criterion because it means that an individual has undergone various difficult stages of psychological breakdown. Depression can cause individuals to harm themselves by either inflicting pain on themselves or committing suicide. Those who argue on this perspective believe that due to the psychological impact on the youth, self-harm occurs as one way of reaction to Facebook content. Cyberbullying on Facebook has contributed to numerous instances of self-harm and suicidal attempts in the United States (Shaikh, 2021). As individuals are cyberbullied, they feel depressed, unworthy, and unwanted; hence they harm themselves or commit suicide with hesitation. An objection could be since Facebook provides various support groups, depression, which can lead to self-harm, is reduced. That is because Facebook connectedness has been associated with low depression and anxiety (Mental Help, 2020). However, even with such groups' presence, young people lack the courage to express their negative feeling for fear of being judged or bullied. Therefore, offering a support group does not guarantee safety from self-harm or suicide.

Implications and Recommendations

​There are numerous implications of the psychological impacts of Facebook on the community. Facebook has changed from a platform of communication and enrichment to a platform of trolling, abusing, bullying, and disrespect among the youth. Most have killed, harmed, or fallen into psychological breakdowns due to addiction, depression, and envy, among other aspects of Facebook. Therefore, there is the need for an appropriate corrective plan on the issue. The youth should avoid excessive use of Facebook since it causes addiction. They should find other ways of spending leisure time like enhancing their skills and talents through various ways to avoid envy and depression. Also, it is vital to seek elderly advice when things toughen or when depression leads an individual to suicidal thoughts.

​In conclusion, even though Facebook has proven to be important in promoting communication, other criteria connect it to social issues. Addiction, depression and anxiety, envy, and self-harm are the criteria that have proven Facebook harms youth's psychological state. The evaluation concludes that even though different people have different perspectives on the social impacts of Facebook on the youth, its negative impact outweigh the positive ones. Also, these criteria are correlated such that addiction causes stress that leads to depression. Envy also can lead to depression, and depression can cause suicidal thoughts, suicide, or self-harm. Based on the evaluation, the best solutions to combat Facebook's negative impacts on youth are for young people to avoid excessive Facebooking, indulge in other edifying activities when free, and sought experienced advice when circumstances get difficult. Otherwise, Facebook will remain a significant cause of social issues in the community.