However, social media use can also
negatively affect teens
, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure. The risks might be related to how much social media teens use.
Younger Age Groups Are Becoming Less Dominant Within Social Media. At the advent of social media, Pew routinely found that younger Americans (
ages 18–29
) were significantly more likely to use social media.
The participants who spent the most time on social media had 2.6 times the risk. Results from a separate study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed that the more time
young adults
spent on social media, the more likely they were to have problems sleeping and report symptoms of depression.
It has made it easy to connect to our family members, friends and relatives on a real-time basis. With social media,
people can share pictures and videos and communicate with their close ones
. This has strengthened relationships and it is bringing families together in a way that was not possible in the past.
Surveys show that
ninety percent of teens ages 13-17 have
used social media. Seventy five percent report having at least one active social media profile, and 51% report visiting a social media site at least daily. Two thirds of teens have their own mobile devices with internet capabilities.
Young people spend a lot of time on social media. They’re also more susceptible to peer pressure,
low self-esteem and mental ill-health
. A number of studies have found associations between increased social media use and depression, anxiety, sleep problems, eating concerns, and suicide risk.
The negative aspects of social media
However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Social media may promote negative experiences such as:
Inadequacy about your life or appearance
.
At Protect Young Eyes, we operate under the assumption that no child for any reason should be using social media prior to age 13.
Turning 13 is the minimum requirement
, and is in no way an automatic approval for Instagram or anything else. Because, remember, age alone is the wrong question.
“Too much passive use of social media – just browsing posts –
can be unhealthy and has been linked to feelings of envy
, inadequacy and less satisfaction with life. Studies have even suggested that it can lead to ADHD symptoms, depression, anxiety and sleep deprivation. ”
The internet and social media
has drastically changed the way people all over
the world interact and communicate. … Social media networks allow us the opportunity to share opinions with a far wider audience. Another big change that has occurred is that there is now no filter on the way we speak.
Social media unfortunately has a negative impact on society
, because instead of people having to build up their own strength to be mean and say horrible things to someone in person, face-to-face, they can hide behind their phone, tablet, computer, or any sort of virtual shield that will keep them from having to …
- Build relationships. Social media is not just about brands connecting with their customers. …
- Share your expertise. Social media gives you an opportunity to talk about what you know and what you want to be known for. …
- Increase your visibility. …
- Educate yourself. …
- Connect anytime.
Social Media has
many positive effects on education
including better communication, timely information, socializing online, learning, enhancing skills, making a career among others. But the same has some negative effects which include identity theft, cyber bullying, and social isolation.
Hackers
love social networking, going right to the source to interject malicious code. The codes hackers use can steal your identity, inject viruses to your computer, and obstruct bank account information, to name a few. Shortened URLs, such as those created on bit.ly, are especially susceptible to hackers.
Social media use has also been associated with
cyber bullying and cyber abuse
by anonymous users online, which leads to problems of self-esteem, privacy ,etc. Most studies have shown that, social media’s violent games result in increase in violent tendencies and behaviours in children.
But Dunbar’s recent study, published in 2016, suggests that even though social media allows us to “break through the glass ceiling” of maintaining offline relationships and have larger social networks, it doesn’t overcome our
natural capacity for friendships
.
