It is a beautiful day outside. The sun is out, and the birds are chirping. However, instead of enjoying the nice weather, teenagers everywhere are inside scrolling on their devices for hours on end. Phones—and more specifically, social media—have become the most important part of teenagers’ lives, coming before friendships, health, and responsibilities. The use of social media can harm teenagers and children more than many would expect. Although social media can be a powerful tool for connection and information, the damaging impacts of it cannot be overlooked.
One of the scariest parts of social media is the prominence of cyberbullying and online harassment. Many social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, have comment sections where others, usually strangers, are able to submit public comments on others’ posts. This feature allows them to write hurtful and degrading comments, many of which can cause the recipient to experience mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety. Pew Research states that, “the vast majority of teens (90% in this case) believe online harassment is a problem that affects people their age, and 63% say this is a major problem.” The fact that the usage of social media facilitates online cyberbullying makes it a very serious issue.
Another common issue associated with using social media is comparison. Many look at online photos or videos, which appear “perfect.” As a result, they start to compare themselves to these images. Although many times the photos are edited in order to look how the individual wants, and they are not actually real, the person viewing the photos believes that they must also look like that. This leads to unachievable, and even dangerous beauty standards which many then make it their goal to reach.
The can lead to serious risks, such as young people developing body dysmorphia, which is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder in which a person becomes preoccupied or obsessed with what they perceive as a flaw in their physical appearance that is not observable to others or is a slight physical difference. Body dysmorphia is an extremely serious issue as it can cause life-threatening conditions, such as eating disorders. One example of this is anorexia nervosa, a condition where people obsess over their weight and oftentimes take part in excessive exercise or starvation. One statistic shows that the global prevalence of eating disorders increased from 3.5% to 7.8% between 2000 and 2018.
It is very possible that this increase correlates with the increased usage of social media. Due to the influence culture of social media, there has been a shift to unattainable beauty standards. These can greatly harm teenagers, as the desire to look like someone else can lead to detrimental habits during these fundamental years of growth.
Additionally, social media can decrease a students’ efficiency and ability to learn in school. As a result of the short videos on social media platforms, many young students develop a reduced attention span when it comes to longer or more in-depth lessons, leading to difficulties in school. Many students become addicted when it comes to using their phones and being able to access these applications, resulting in the completion of other tasks becoming much more difficult.
During the vital teenage years of life, social media has the power to cause much more harm than good. Social media may have its benefits, but overall, it can be detrimental to those who use it too much, rely on it, or judge their own lives based on what they see online.
