The use of Social media may have negative repercussions for teens. The question we should ask ourselves is: How did we get here?
YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular online platforms among teens. Fully 95% have access to a smartphone, and 45% say they are online ‘almost constantly’, according to Pew Research Center writers Monica Anderson and JingJing Jiang in May 2018. For more details on their 2018 research please read the following methodology. With such a high percentage of teens accessing social media platforms should we be concerned?
What is going on?
Experts say kids are growing up with more anxiety and less self-esteem. Rachel Ehmke, a writer for Child Mind Institute says young people report there might be good reason to worry. A survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health asked 14-24 year olds in the UK how social media platforms impacted their health and wellbeing. The results found Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image, and loneliness.
A problem social media is causing with teens is indirect communication because teens are staring at their phones instead of interacting face-to-face. Hayley Tsukayama, a reporter covering consumer technology for The Washington Post, says the average teen spends more than one-third of their day using media. Nearly nine hours on average, according to a new study from the family technology education non-profit group, Common Sense Media.
What’s at Risk for Teens?
Recognizing the potential negative aspects of social media within the teen population may help avoid increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image, and loneliness. Robyn Treyvaud of Wangle Family Insites provides the following on negative effects of social media:
- Brain Development
- Privacy & Reputation
- Body Image & Self-Esteem
- Sexual Behavior
- Sleep
- Social Skils
- Mental Health Problems
Photo provided by John D. Williams
60 Seconds to Show Negativity
It is easy to read an article about how social media is negatively impacting teens but watching a short video can provide a visual impact of what is happening. Amr Khalil uploaded the video The bad effect of social media on October 26, 2016 on YouTube.
Hope for the Future
With the high levels of negativity social media may be creating, steps should be taken to change the amount of time teens spend on social media. But questions remain.
How do we create a world in which social media is not a priority for teens?
How can we help teens gain back what they’ve lost?