Hey there Readers!
You always here it readers, social media use is bad for children and adolescents. I know. But do you even know why? It all starts with knowing what social media is. Social media involves platforms that connect people with other people by posting pictures, sending direct videos, or even writing an update on how a day was spent. While there are a lot of positive that I have come to find in my research (read my learnshop page to learn more), there are some serious consequences to what most teens are doing on those bright smartphones. Many of the negatives researchers have concentrated on were the mental health effects, body image perception, and risky behavior outcomes. That alone can seem pretty scary readers. Not let’s hear some facts!
Mental health is extremely important and the education of it is increasing in today’s society. Researchers have been concerned with the negative mental health symptoms that include fear of missing out (FoMO), anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity/impulsivity. A study by Barry, Sidoti, Briggs, Reiter and Lindsey (2017), investigated just this using 14-17 year olds who completed a survey about their social media use. They found that the higher amount of social media accounts, the more depressive symptoms, loneliness, and FoMO in these adolescents. So, this is just saying that having multiple accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and even Twitter can place adolescents more at risk or these negative mental health symptoms. What is even more terrifying is that adolescents may see their body image as negative because of what they may see on social media. Eating disorders are a huge concern for people ages 15 to 24 and social media may not help this number decrease anytime soon. Adadzadeh, Pahlevan, Shariff & Ong (2017), have studied the correlation between Instagram use and body satisfaction. It was found that with higher Instagram use, leads to body dissatisfaction. Honestly Reader, it’s hard not to find this nowadays as many adolescents’ Instagram accounts follow people who have unrealistic body types, like Kylie Jenner. These types are sometimes only achieved with plastic surgery. Plus, what adolescents may not realize is that their body may be still growing and going through the awkward stages of puberty. I believe the most concerning negative outcome of them all is risky behaviors. Similar to how TV and Movies paired sex with alcohol with sex (read my first blog post to find out more), social media pairs drugs and alcohol with risky behaviors. However, adolescents are more likely to view social media more frequently than TV shows and movies. Thus drinking too young becomes a problem. What many studies have found is that students who identify as problem drinkers are influenced by alcohol related social media marketing found on many social media accounts.
Look Readers, you are what you follow or maybe not always. Social media can be addictive and is sometimes not the best for growing children and adolescents as they may view their world negatively based on what other post. So as adults, let’s be more mindful of who children follow and our own social media habits. Social media is not everything. Encourage children and adolescents to follow their interests and find more activities to do with them. I for one have changed the way I use social media. I now follow more people who I enjoy to be around or admire, like anyone with a food account. All I am saying is that we don’t need to take social media out of our lives, but let’s work on using it mindfully.
Logging out,
Skyler Gin
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