How Social Media Affects Teenagers

How Social Media Affects Teenagers

There are many effects that social media has on not only teenagers but kids nowadays. Social media is very impactful and has a great deal of influence on teens and people of all ages. Many people use their phones and other devices for social media and are on it constantly, which can negatively impact their mental health, state of mind, and motivation to do things. Here are some items to be aware of when it comes to the use of social media:

One of the things that social media does to a person is lower their self-confidence and love about themselves. For example, if little kids are on apps like Instagram and TikTok they constantly see what appears to be perfect people that they automatically compare themselves to when they shouldn’t because they are still growing. If teens are posting on social media, it can really lower their self-esteem because there are always people that will comment hate on your posts and hate on you for no reason. Social media can give teens the wrong expectations and make them think that people are supposed to look a certain way. Being exposed to that environment of hostility and rudeness is not good because over time, it can lead to many long-term effects like depression.

Another effect that social media has on teens is it takes them away from focusing on school. What this means is students start slacking off and don’t do their homework or work in general because they are hyper-focused on social media. Most of us have probably been on our phones all day whether it be scrolling on TikTok or browsing on Instagram, and it is good to take a break and just chill every once and a while, but when you start focusing on your phone 24/7 it starts to become a problem. Lots of kids spend their whole night on their phones and don’t get enough sleep, so they start sleeping during class when they really should be learning. Also, if you are on social media too much it can get to the point where you are never taking a break from it, which is very bad for your mental health.

Teenagers who often use social media are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and cyberbullying. Moreover, most kids have a very hard time limiting their own screen time and setting boundaries for themselves. It can be very hard to break away from social media, especially if you have been on it for so long that you think nothing else seems fun anymore and that’s the only thing you want to do. One of the reasons why it can lead to depression is because being locked up in your room all day not going out at all can be very damaging to your mental health and well-being. In the article “Social media and mental health,” they say, ” Using social media more often, though, increases FOMO and feelings of inadequacy, dissatisfaction, and isolation. In turn, these feelings negatively affect your mood and worsen symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.” What this means is the more you are on social media, the more you begin to develop these feelings of stress and discomfort.

My advice to everyone is to try and limit yourself and how much time you spend on your devices. Once you start to take a break from social media, you will see a big change in yourself and how you feel. When you are ready to take the next step for your health, you can delete some of the apps that are making you constantly spend time on your phone and only keep the essentials. If you are experiencing some of these effects, reach out to your parents or friends and talk to them about how you are feeling and how they can help, and just know your fellow ACP Knights are always here for you.