How Social Media Can Affect Youth (Essay Sample)

As technology advances people’s day-to-day lives have gotten easier but also more complex. One of the most influential pieces of technology has been the internet, more specifically social media. Social media is a broad form of online communication on which users can post plain text, images, as well as videos for anyone around the world to see. Social media has rapidly risen in popularity in recent years but overuse could have negative effects on young teenagers’ mental health, self-development, and even educational performance.

Mental Health

With the introduction of social media, people of all ages started to become attached to the internet. Many people who relied too much on social media became addicted to it. Being addicted to social media can cause a surplus of problems such as damage to your mental health.

Social Media Addiction and Overuse

Social media has changed the lives of many people around the world, but its effects are not always positive. Social medias have become one of the most widely used platforms on the internet and Srivastava (2019) has found that “over one in four people worldwide are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social networking sites (SNSs). Globally the SNS users were estimated to be 2.95 billion in 2019” (“Social media and mental health challenges”). With such a high number of users, it becomes obvious how social media can be influential to many of them. Srivasta (2019) also suggests that expressing one’s beliefs on social media seems to be a strong subjective reward. It is theorized that this is one of the primary reasons many people use social media as it fills the need to belong and be heard, which could lead to addiction. (“Social media and mental health challenges”). Social media addiction can be very detrimental to one’s mental health and can lead to increased depression and anxiety.

Heightened Depression and Anxiety

When social media is heavily introduced into one’s lifestyle, many will quickly become addicted to it. Just like many other addictions, this can lead to increased depression and anxiety symptoms. According to Srivastava (2019), overuse of social media can have devastating effects on teen’s mental health and well-being. Researchers have called attention to the connection between social media addiction and heightened depression, anxiety, and even loneliness (“Social media and mental health challenges”). Many have believed that the more teens use social media the more damage it can cause and research has shown this to be true. According to research, teens who use around 7 to 11 social platforms are more likely to show depression and anxiety symptoms than those who only use a couple social media platforms (Srivastava, 2019, “Social media and mental health challenges”). In the earlier ages of social media, it was praised to be a social paradise because of online anonymity. AccessScience Editors state that social media had given a louder voice to those who had gone unheard “because of racism, sexism, or other forms of bigotry.” Conversely, social media and other online platforms have created a new form of oppression known as cyberbullying (“Social media''). Many online users have been affected by other users whose main goal is to threaten or intimidate them, known as cyberbullies.  

Cyberbullying is the act of threatening, intimidating, or harassing another person while online. Srivastava (2019) determined that “cyberbullying exists in different forms. It can include the posting of hurtful comments online, threats, and intimidation toward others within the online space and posting photographs or videos that are intended to cause distress or disgust, inciting others to make hurtful comments aimed at a person, or sending hurtful text messages on a smartphone” (“Social media and mental health challenges”). Cyberbullying is a massive threat to online users and one that is hardly avoidable. Just like real bullying, cyberbullying can cause low self-esteem, depression, and a loss of confidence. However, as stated by Srivastava, online cyberbullying can differ from offline, real-world bullying in many ways. Firstly, victims are still susceptible to cyberbullying anywhere they access the internet. Second, since cyberbullying usually occurs over text messages, images, or videos being sent online, they can all be shared endlessly, resulting in a larger audience to be humiliated by. Finally, because all of the information online is saved permanently, it can be accessed at any time resulting in the same abuse taking place repeatedly (“Social media and mental health challenges”). Due to the effects cyberbullying can have on a victim it could lead some teens to induce self-harm.

Self-harm is an escalating problem amongst teens and one that can be prevented before it begins. Teens being exposed to a wide range of online media can introduce them to many harmful things that could be especially harmful and easily replicated. Srivastava (2019) believes that teens being able to access content that could promote self-harm or suicide is a major problem and should raise a questionable amount of concern (“Social media and mental health challenges”). Adolescents should be able to discern what to believe and what not to when online but that is not always the case and it should always be a parent’s concern and responsibility to check in on their child’s mental health and well-being.

Development

Young teens’ self-development is very important as it decides who they will become as an adult. It is necessary that teens become fully developed and are ready for adulthood, but does social media affect how teens develop themselves?

How online communication is used

Online communication is relatively new and spread immensely amongst people of all ages becoming one of the most used forms of communication. According to Subrahmanyam (2014), during the early years of online communication, users were given the opportunity to detach themselves from who they were and become anonymous. Researchers speculated that this is exactly what users would be doing, however, the opposite was occurring (“Electronic communication and identity development”). Users would let others know details of their true identity instead of being entirely anonymous. Research showed that users would still give certain details about themselves such as their age, gender, and location. Surprisingly online characters, such as an avatar for a video game, were in many ways similar to users’ offline identity and personality (Subrahmanyam, 2014, “Electronic communication and identity development”). Many were only changing certain aspects of their identity that they did not like giving way to key identity exploration.

Youth self-development

Young teens online were presenting themselves how they wanted to be seen. Subrahmanyam (2014) states that the way youth present themselves online can affect their self-development. Presenting themselves as how they want to be seen can help with the way they present themselves offline and become content with who they are (“Electronic communication and identity development”). Teens excepting who they are is a key part of their early development and can decrease risks of depression or anxiety.

Educational Performance

The education of teens is very important and should be treated as such. The media’s impact on health has received a lot of attention. Not many have recognized that social media could also impact the educational performance of young teens.

Electronic media use

Online Media can be helpful to education when used properly as any piece of information can be found online but if not used properly it can harm one’s scholarly performance. Mundy (2020) argues that media use at an early age can affect a teen’s education in many ways as it can take away time from other activities such as studying, sleep, or completing homework (Electronic media use and academic performance in late childhood). Recognizing the possible effects of online media use is key in utilizing it in the best way possible. As stated by Mundy (2020), “electronic media use has become the most popular leisure-time activity for children and adolescents (7–18-year-olds). Electronic media use includes screen-based activities such as computer and smartphone use, electronic video games, and television viewing. The extent to which electronic media may affect the lives of children is hotly debated” (“Electronic media use and academic performance”). With how many teens are using electronic media, it is important to know how it is being used and what can affect their education.

Effects of electronic media 

There are many types of media available now and it is important to know which can affect adolescents and which do not. Some research shows that many types of media can be beneficial to education as they can create better learning outcomes or better attention skills (Mundy, 2020, “Electronic media use and academic performance”). However, any type of media use can result in a lower academic average when used irresponsibly. According to Mundy, media use at an early age can affect one’s education in many ways as it can take time away from other activities such as studying, sleep, or homework (“Electronic media use and academic performance”). The effects of electronic media suggest that it will lower your grades and overall affect your education.   

Conclusion 

Social media has shown to be beneficial but also dangerous. With the rapid growth in users, it is important to know how it can affect teens who overuse it. Even though social media has its benefits, users should know how to use it carefully and the possible effects it has on those who overuse it.