As the world moves towards more technological advancements, you might notice that almost every smart device has some sort of social media downloaded on it. Whether it’s TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, or any other social media, these apps are very common nowadays. Over the years, there has also been an increase in teenagers using social media.
Social media can have many positive impacts. For teenagers especially, it is the perfect way to stay in touch with family and friends. Sophomore Allisson Flores said, “Social media is a great way for me to communicate with family members that live far away.” For some, social media is the only way to interact with friends and family due to distance. It’s a great way to communicate with others and share fun pictures and clips of their loved ones.
Social media can also be a great source of creativity. Teenagers can show off new skills they learned and use these apps as a tool to express their talents. Since social media has many ways to get your thoughts across (posts, stories, short-form, and long-form videos), teens can even build a community full of people who enjoy the same topics. It allows teens to interact with people that they have never met before.
Although social media is a great outlet for creativity and communication, it can also be dangerous if not used responsibly. Teenagers can be exposed to harmful and extreme material through social apps. Apart from harmful material, teens can also be exposed to people who may not have their best interests at heart. Online predators and hackers are something to look out for when exploring the realms of social media. They may try to get personal information which can be unsafe.
One massive con of teenagers using social media is how addictive social media can get. Teens can spend hours aimlessly scrolling and get distracted from the real world. These social apps are a giant distraction from schoolwork and family activities. Teens get so caught up in social media that they start putting it ahead of family and education. They may even start falling behind in school solely because of how addicting social media can be.
Social media can affect teenagers’ physical and mental health tremendously. Anxiety and depression are becoming a bigger problem in teenagers and social media plays a big role. Physical activities can also be impacted by social media because people spend so much time on their phones that they forget to enjoy life outside of social media. Isabelle Tyner, a sophomore here at Liberty said, “Social media can be so disorientating because if you’re online constantly, it becomes your reality.”
Social media can be great and risky in many ways. However, if teenagers can learn to use this outlet safely and responsibly, social media is a fabulous tool. It allows teenagers to show their true selves to the world, allows them to communicate with family and friends, and can also help with educational purposes. Blocking unsafe people, adding content filters, and limiting how much screen time you have are great ways to start using social media safely. Taking some precautions towards social media will greatly impact the quality of teens’ health on these apps.
