Social media is quickly taking over society. People use it every day, and sometimes all day, to contact someone over Snapchat or sharing photos of the trip they just took on Instagram. There are both documented and uncertain impacts that social media has on its users, with one of the more vulnerable groups being teenagers. Some of the most popular apps among teens include Snapchat, Instagram, BeReal., and Tik Tok.
Teenagers often use social media for contacting their friends and for entertainment. Both of those can have many pros and cons. The amount of time teens spend on social media has gradually increased. "I probably spend about 2-5 hours on my phone a day depending on the day,” stated Kikkan Brine (10).
Media often focuses on the negative impacts of social media, but there are positive impacts as well. Social media can be used to stay connected with family and friends that users may not be able to see in person, for quick access to information and for wholesome entertainment. For example, Snapchat is popular for staying connected, Instagram for sharing photos, Tiktok for entertainment, and many more platforms are being used. “You can see what people are doing and you can learn new things you didn’t know about,” said Will Beibemsheimer (11). In a world where social media is very popular, its important to acknowledge some of the benefits offered by social media.
On the other hand, there are also many cons. Some of those include the addiction it can cause, and the amount of time teenagers spend on it, neglecting other more meaningful pursuits. It can also cause a fear of missing out aka FOMO, a word that was recently added to the dictionary and means “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media.”
Social media overuse has also been associated with self-image issues caused by the difference between reality and the amount of editing and false pictures that are posted on the various platforms. The amount of editing that can go into an image has greatly increased due to AI. “The global market size of AI market size is expected to grow 37% every year from 2023 to 2030,” claims Hostinger.com, a web hosting provider dedicated to bringing success to everyone who goes online. All of these factors can greatly affect students' mental health.
“[Social media] can affect [mental health] many different ways between social norms and body image things and just the over activity we see with ADD and ADHD,” claims Mr. Betz CHS’s health teacher.
“Children and adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety,” states Harmony Hill School, an educational facility dedicated to social emotional learning for its students.
According to the American Psychological Association, problematic social media use is indicated by the following; “it interferes with daily routines and commitment, such as school, work, friendships, and extracurricular activities; users often choose social media over in-person social interactions; social media prevents the user from getting at least 8 hours of quality sleep each night; social media prevents the user from engaging in regular physical activity; the user keeps using social media even when they express a desire to stop; the user experiences strong cravings to check social media; or the user lies or uses deceptive behavior to spend time online.”
Social media may have some positive and some negative impacts on today's society whether it’s helping users stay connected with a long distant friend or causing anxiety which negatively impacts one’s mental health. It all mainly comes down to how it is used. This means limiting screen time and recognizing that social media is rarely an accurate portrayal of reality. The American Psychological Association recommends “limit[ing] social media use on platforms that include counts of likes or encourage excessive use.”
The APA issued recommendations to a presidential panel for other limitations encouraging healthy social media use as well. Their report included suggestions to “tailor use to developmental capabilities,” the monitoring of social media use by parents for “younger kids;” the limiting of exposure to social media that “depicts illegal or psychological maladaptive behavior, discrimination, prejudice, hate or cyberbullying;” the monitoring of teens “for signs of problematic social media use that can impair their ability to engage in daily roles and routines and may present risk for more serious psychological harms over time;” the limiting of “social media so as not to interfere with adolescents’ sleep or physical activity;” and the limiting of “adolescents’ use of social media for primarily beauty or appearance-related content.” So long as teens and their parents avoid these dangerous aspects of social media, the pros and cons still seem to be evenly weighted.
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