Social Media

Claire Wicke

P.6 Intro to Media

Article: How Social Media Affects Teenagers:

Publisher/ Author: Rachel Ehmke

https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/

Recent articles have shown that social media has been effecting teenagers more and more as it grows to younger audiences.
As more social media platforms grow, teenagers get even more attached. Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and very popular sites that a lot of social teenagers visit daily. Many teenagers report that these sites have increased their anxiety, depression, and loneliness, because of how much time is spent on social media, scrolling through feeds every minute they get to.
A lot of the time spent on social media adds up to less real life social skills because of how much time teens spend meeting people online, through a screen, instead of face to face. They get used to being able to delete a conversation and redo their sentences that when it comes to face to face, their lack of real life social skills show.
Social media is also a very big reason why many friendships and real life relationships are torn apart. It's easy to type a mean or hurtful sentence online then to say it in real life, causing cyber bullying or hurtful arguments, leading to low self esteem and anxiety. But, communicating on social media is also a way to create and tighten bonds too. I personally (like many others) have had many bad experiences with social sites like Snapchat and Instagram because of how easy it is to hide behind a screen and say stuff to others you would normally never say to a persons face, but some of my relationships with my very close friends have became stronger because of social sites. Instead of having to wait till the next day or next week or next month to tell someone (like a close friend or parent) something, you can send a quick text making it easier to communicate. It is also a easy way to make plans and share your life with people you want to share it with. I post on Instagram a lot of photos when I travel or do something fun with my friends, to show others.
Social media obviously has its pros and cons, both which I can see each side of, but it is also a self decision each person has to make to use or not. Choosing to use social media can be a risk if you don't make the best decisions, but it can also be fun if you make the right choices and use it as a way to share your fun life experiences and communicate with others.