The impact that social media plays in society and its overarching affect on teens.
Social media being a big part of everyones lives in this current generations proves to open many new doors on the downsides that it may cause, but also how we might be able to prevent it.
Social media is a huge part of the current generation’s lives. Most teens who have access to electricity and the internet also have a social media account on some page that they can use. For Example, a 2018 Pew Research Center survey of nearly 750 13- to 17-year-olds found that 45% are online almost constantly and 97% use a social media platform, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. This is a lot of time being spent on the internet. The bad thing is though that social media has been linked with increased rates of anxiety, depression, and poor sleep. And since the last 25 years these rates have been raised by more than 70%. Even when looking at the statistics facebook, twitter, instagram, and snapchat have been found to have an overall negative effect on the well being of those in the younger generation. Although youtube has been found to have a net positive effect, there are likely still some downsides to it. There are also problems that lie in the mental health of the youth and how social media affects that.A 2019 study of more than 6,500 12- to 15-year-olds in the U.S. found that those who spent more than three hours a day using social media might be at heightened risk for mental health problems. While in another study in England they also found that using social media more than 3 times a day predicted poor mental health and well-being in teens. Although there are still some steps you can take to help alleviate these probabilities in the long term like setting reasonable limits or encouraging more face to face interactions. These can help to promote a healthier lifestyle and a stronger mental health.