8 Negative Effects of Social Media on Teenagers

8 Negative Effects of Social Media on Teenagers:-

It has become fashionable to blame the social media for almost everything that concerns society today. To be honest, social media is really that bad?

Undoubtedly, social media have an extensive impact on adolescents. Sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and social apps such as Instagram and WhatsApp greatly influence all aspects of a teenager's life. According to ChildMind.org, teens are repeatedly participating in cell phone use all day long including "text messages, sharing, trolling and scrolling" when they are studying and completing tasks.

Moreover, ChildMind.org has stated that instead of experimenting and sharing interactions with others in-person, teenagers now spend more time in cyber communications. Ultimately, it creates a communication barrier and interferes with a teen's ability to successfully interact with issues or concerns to their peers, resulting in poor judgment.

Dr. Steiner-Adair says, "We forget that relational aggression stems from insecurity and a horrible feeling about yourself and wanting to put other people to make you feel better."

Unfortunately, our adolescents and young people have assumed the use of social media for grades that if not controlled or restricted, would leave some serious effects on their overall health. But, what are the negative effects of social media on adolescents? Let's have a look!

Identity Theft:-

One of the main problems with social media websites is that teens often do not fully read or understand the privacy settings of their accounts. Maybe they are not aware of the risk of divulging unnecessary personal information. Based on a recent survey, more than 30% of teens consider it perfectly safe to post their personal data and photos online. These types of teenagers can easily become victims of identity theft.

Hate speech:-

A study carried out by researchers from the University of Rome has shown that children with social media sites are at greater risk of suffering from hatred. This problem can be even more serious for girls especially and children belonging to communities and minorities who suffer discrimination. When someone falls into an online relationship, they become a part of hate speech or disrespectful behavior. Opposed, face-to-face interaction allows you to think twice before passing any such observation.

Cyber-Bullying:-

Bullying during childhood is one of the elements of greatest risk for a number of subjects’ e.g. mental health, education and social relations, with long-term effect often carried through to adulthood.

Cyber-stalking:-

Stalking can be considered as the compulsive supervision or care towards the victim that can harass him or her. It can be done in several ways using social media. Most times, a former boyfriend or spouse can get angry at disintegration and persecute the victim through social media. On the other hand, a relationship that was established online is bitter and may use the personal information shared by the harasser.

Depression and anxiety:-

A large number of researchers have suggested that teenagers who spend more than 3 hours per day on social networks will be more likely to report poor mental health as a psychological distress signal that is obviously a symptom of anxiety and depression.

Body Image:-

Body image is another problem for many teenagers, both men, and women. It has been said that when women in their teens and early eighteens open Facebook only for a short period of time, body image anxieties are higher as compared those don’t use it.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

Fear of missing out has been strongly linked to higher levels of commitment to social media. In simple words, the more you use social media, the more likely you experience fear of missing out (FOMO).

Lack of sleep:-

Many studies have revealed that spending a lot of time on social media leaves significant associations with the quality of lack of sleep, especially in young people. In addition, using laptops, tablets, and smartphones at night before going to bed is also related to poor quality sleep.

Is there any way that parents can maintain control over their children influenced by social media? Let us know your suggestions in the comments section below. And if you are looking for all kinds of Latest Technology Trends and News, we have got you covered.