Social Medias Negative Effects on Adolescents
Social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives, and this is even more
prominent in the lives of teenagers. There is much debate on whether social media has more of a
negative or positive impact on teenagers and young people in general. The Royal Society for
Public Health (RSPH) says that social media provides teenagers with “emoti
...[Show More]
Social Medias Negative Effects on Adolescents
Social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives, and this is even more
prominent in the lives of teenagers. There is much debate on whether social media has more of a
negative or positive impact on teenagers and young people in general. The Royal Society for
Public Health (RSPH) says that social media provides teenagers with “emotional support and
community building.” The reasoning behind their claim is sound, and they may even be accurate.
Nevertheless, whether what they state is true or not, the negatives that accompany the constant
use of social media by adolescents predominantly outweigh the positives.
Constant use of social media is a large factor in why low self-esteem is much more
common for teens. Both Facebook and Instagram have always put a lot of emphasis on likes, or
reactions, of others. This results in a “heterodirected society,” like Sonia Maasik and Jack
Solomon say in Signs of Life in the USA, which is a society where, “members live their lives
predominantly in relation to others, constantly seeking their approval and recognition,” (385).
Living in that kind of society, the society that social media presents, is in no way healthy for any
human being’s self-esteem, especially one of a mentally developing teenager. When I was in high
school, all aspects of life revolved around social media. I based my own worth on how many
likes I got on Facebook or Instagram. If I got a little or none at all, I felt worthless and
unappreciated. Anything I had to say that was not liked or commented on many times was
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