If you go throughout the high school and ask someone for their Twitter handle or Instagram username; It’s very likely they’ll be able to give you a quick answer back. Nowadays almost everyone has several social media accounts and think they’re great for them. But I personally believe the constant snapchatting and scrolling through instagram, twitter, and Facebook has had negative affects on my generation. A study published in July in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking found that more time spent on social networking sites was associated with unmet need for mental health support, poor self-rated mental health and reports of psychological distress – based on symptoms of depression and anxiety – and suicidal thoughts by children and adolescents.
When asked if he thinks social media has negatively affected teenagers today junior Alec Falkenhain said “Yes, I think it’s hurt our ability to have face to face interactions and our social abilities.” Most kids today struggle having to communicate with each other, other than through a phone. Face to face communication makes kids feel uneasy and they’re not used to it. This definitely hurts us as a group of teenagers, there is a great need to be able to communicate face to face and have that interaction. It’s healthy to have that sort interaction and most people will feel alone without it.
When asked if he thinks he, himself spends too much time on social media, Falkenhain said “Yes, sometimes I spend way too much time on my phone going through social media when I know there’s other productive things I could be doing.”
This is true for many. Many high school students spend their day scrolling through their Twitter or Instagram feed rather than studying, doing homework, or working on more productive things. Students also become obsessive over their accounts and that becomes their life. Teenagers would be lost without social media to know what’s going on with the world.
Junior Anna Kaczmarek also agreed social media has had a negative impact on Students today “I do think social media has negatively affected teens. Not only is it very time consuming for teenagers, but people have become obsessive over it. They base how they feel about themselves on how many likes they get.” This need for “more likes” and who saw their post and what they thought of it, really points to a low self esteem and constant need for others to like them. Kids need to be independent and not worry about what others think of them, and their post and just be able to do what they want and not worry about being judged.
While social media can have negative impacts on teenagers today, it is a great way to share great moments with friends, catch up with old friends, and see what people are up to. Teenagers just have to remember it isn’t the most important thing in their life, and shouldn’t obsess over their social media.