Well, before I go in-depth into the topic let me, first of all, explain what is social media. According to Wikipedia, “Social media are interactive technologies that allow the creation or sharing/exchange of information, ideas, career interests, and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. “ Granted, social media have allowed people to interact in ways we could never imagine. Now it’s very easy to catch up on someone’s life through a simple message on the computer or mobile phone, even email. Social media enables communication for not only one’s personal life but also for business life as well. How we could have done it till now without it. Despite the positive impacts of social media on society, studies have shown that using social media has become a risk to adolescents more often than most adults realize. A study conducted in 2019 of more than 12,000, 13- to 16-year-olds in England found that using social media more than three times a day predicted poor mental health and well-being in teens. Let now talk about some positive and negative impacts of social media on the youth.
POSITIVE IMPACTS
Some of the positive impacts the youth get from social media includes:
- It makes them stay up to date on things happening around the world
- It allows them to get connected with their friends and families around the world without meeting them physical
- They use it to combat bullying, body shaming, and more
- Develop critically thinking by using social media for school projects
- Social media can also be used to motivate students to strive for greatness
- It also helps to provide a sense of community
- Students can meet their mentors to help them guide their career goals
NEGATIVE IMPACTS
Some of the negative impacts the youth get from social media includes:
- Social media can cause sleep deprivation in teens today
- It is used to communicate false, embarrassing/hostile information to specific users
- It can cause social isolation and bring anxiety which is the cause of “fear of missing out”
