People of all ages spend a lot of time on social media that provide platforms to stay in touch with family and friends. Other people use social media to communicate, advertise, and find jobs. In particular, the youngsters find social media platforms highly useful in establishing connections. However, social media outlets have negative impacts, especially on children’s mental health. The negative impacts on children have not been backed empirically due to inadequate research. Some studies show that children benefit through online interactions, while others demonstrate increased anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. The fragile and unstable minds of adolescents are prone to addiction, including the obsession with social media. Addiction is compounded by the desire for teenagers to assert themselves, their lack of experience, psychological trauma, and unfavorable environment.
The process of analyzing social media usage is incredibly complex because it is constantly changing and evolving. Children’s life experiences are not backed by enough data that can enable researchers to make decisive judgments. Some people find it hard to understand the appeal of certain social media platforms if they have not grown up with them (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020). For the most part, teenagers consider scrolling, liking, following and taking selfies primary ways of sharing and interacting with friends. Since they lack experience, youngsters fear missing out on jokes, links, and invitations leading to stress and depression (BetterUP, 2022). By not participating in online activities, people get affected physically and emotionally.
Photo-sharing platform Snapchat is one of the most popular social networks among teenagers. Photos posted on this platform will be deleted as soon as they are viewed by the recipient. Users can also post photos saved within 24 hours via Snapchat Stories (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020). Instagram users can share “stories” 24 hours a day, but they can also upload photos and videos that remain on their profile (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020). Anyone can see the photos and videos you post on Instagram, as long as you have not set your account to Private. Instagram is often used as a form of photo blogging, showing videos of travel and everyday life, and sharing interests in art, cooking, and other pursuits.
Nonetheless, social media is beneficial in making children feel connected and having stronger relations with friends. According to a publication in Pediatrics, regular use of social media benefits children and teens by improving communication, social interaction and technical skills. The social dimension of human development is innate, and social media provides children with a quick and easy way to communicate. Social media can be a source of support and friendship among marginalized teens including those with health issues and LGBTQ+. Teens can find support and connection through social media when they interact with small groups of other supportive teens.
There are many negative attributes of social media, especially being attached to the phone. Nearly half of teens admit to being addicted to their smartphones, according to a new study by Digital Wellbeing 2020 (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020). Most respondents also believe that their connection to technology affects their eating, sleeping, playing sports, and studying habits. Secondly, children get exposed to inappropriate content, including violence, racism, hate or pornography. Teenagers stumble upon pornography by accident that initially causes a mixture of curiosity, shock, confusion and disgust.
Additionally youngsters may experience cyberbullying and failure to act promptly has serious consequences. Psychological research has linked cyberbullying to a risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts (Jolliff, 2020). Social networks at night can interfere with children’s sleep. Children aged 5 to 16 should sleep between 9 and 11 hours every night (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020). Sleep deprivation can negatively affect school performance and increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
Significant associations have been found between symptoms of depression and anxiety and social media use, even as studies do not directly link social media to these conditions. There is little information on whether social media use causes depression or anxiety, or whether people with high levels of anxiety or depression are more likely to use social media (Keles et al., 2020). Use of social media platforms is somewhat linked to these symptoms. A 2020 study found that people who deactivated their Facebook accounts reported lower levels of depression, anxiety, happiness, and contentment. Anything can be an object of hatred, including a person’s appearance, religion, nationality, or behavior. Internet trolls hide behind fake pseudonyms and do not publish real photos. There may be many fake social media accounts and young boys and girls are especially vulnerable to online attacks. Children who are mentally unstable can be driven to depression and even suicide.
In addition, social media can create an unrealistic view of people’s lives leading to peer pressure and unhealthy comparisons. Children’s use of social media probably went up during the COVID-19 pandemic (Drouin et al., 2020). Another reason could be a sense of isolation due to social distancing. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that teens may experienced increased loneliness and isolation during the pandemic. The lack of mental health resources during school closures further exposed the children to mental health challenges. It has been suggested that they may be more likely to experience worse mental health outcomes (Drouin et al., 2020). Staying at home for too long can create tension and conflict between parents. Social media use has been linked to more than just anxiety and depression. A study of adolescents found that social media had a negative impact on body image in both girls and boys. As social media use grows, more people are observing and judging their bodies.
Approving likes and comments can bewilder children. Expecting admiration from social media users is a powerful tool for creating social media addiction. At the same time, the child attaches great importance to the negative comments of envious or caustic commentators with an inferiority complex (Drouin et al., 2020). The influence of social networks on the child lies not only in the comments made by the user himself, but in general in everything that he can read. Comparing themselves to online ideals of beauty and social success, children begin to suffer from low self-esteem and missed opportunity syndrome. For instance, 82 percent of teenagers who use social media are dissatisfied with their appearance. The number is almost twice as high as those who do not use social media. Children with low self-esteem who seek support online may be more vulnerable to bullying, manipulation, and exploitation by abusers, which is common among online scammers and mentally ill users.
Internet addiction is a very serious psychological disorder, it is poorly treatable, and subsequently causes inferiority complexes. In order to prevent the teenager from acquiring this kind of deviation, it is recommended to monitor how often he uses a particular resource, and what is his reaction to a temporary ban. If an aggressive reaction follows, it is worth starting to sound the alarm. We should remember that the Internet and social networks are only a reflection of our real lives, not a separate world.
If social networking is much more enjoyable than real life, you need to think about and take action toward yourself. This feeling can be the first bell or is a signal of alarm because a perfectly stable psyche will be all right in real life. Besides, there is no need to build a fictional world and a fantasy world. The most important thing is the presence of alternatives to social networking. They include the highly critical role played by friendly communication with parents, sports hobbies, physical labor, modeling, construction, reading books, sections. In addition, it is vital for students to communicate with peers outside of school and with whose families are familiar parents of teenager. Ideally, it is not desirable for a child to go on the Internet without adult supervision.
A focus on the positive aspects of social media has been a recurring theme in resources and advice on countering the negative effects of its use on youth mental health. Parents and teachers should pay close attention to signs that social media is causing cognitive damage to their children. It is also important that the parties teach children safe online practices so that they do not become victims by recklessly exposing their personal information leading to being subjects on increased online abuse (Keles et al., 2020). There are a range of consequences, including anxiety, depression, body image issues, self-harm and substance abuse. Nevertheless, social media is a powerful tool for young people to connect, keep in touch with friends, share information, get support and advice, and gain a wealth of knowledge. The use of social media by children and young people should not be prohibited, given all its benefits. Schools, parents, and companies in the digital industry should protect children from harm by taking a proactive approach rather than reacting to crises on the spot.
References
Abi-Jaoude, E., Naylor, K. T., & Pignatiello, A. (2020). Smartphones, social media use and youth mental health. Cmaj, 192(6), 136-141. Web.
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Drouin, M., McDaniel, B. T., Pater, J., & Toscos, T. (2020). How parents and their children used social media and technology at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and associations with anxiety. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 23(11), 727-736. Web.
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