The Social Media Influence

Adolescence is a critical time in every person’s life; it’s the peak of biological and cognitive development; it’s when we learn how to relate to others and build deeper relationships. Adolescence is also when we begin forming our identity, which carries us into young adulthood. This brings to question what the prevalence of social media in an entire generation of teens does to their development.

 It’s undeniable that social media has created an entirely new world for people to explore or escape to. It allows for people across the world to share their experiences and ideas, fostering global consciousness at a younger age (Hur & Gupta, 2013). Social media can also offer additional support and connections. You can discover people who share similar interests, offering the potential to broaden your social circle. It can also help you network or find a new career opportunity. The possibilities of social media today are almost boundless, which may be where some of its danger lies as well.

 When it comes to social media, some might equivocate its impact to the phrase “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” meaning that mentally healthy teens with positive social skills reap the benefits of social media, while lonely teens with poor social skills face higher-risk consequences (Hur & Gupta, 2013). Studies have demonstrated that high social media use can lead to comparing yourself to others, leading to lower self-esteem. It has also been found that teens with less sense of identity engage in heavier Internet use, fueling a cycle of already-vulnerable teens becoming exposed to even more vulnerabilities. Additionally, lonely teens tend to compensate their lack of face-to-face relationships with online relationships. Although this might seem like a positive consequence, studies have shown that electronic communication is associated with negative social well being (Hur & Gupta, 2013).  

 In this age of greater access, teens have also become more vulnerable to sexual predators. In the Growing up with Social Media Survey, fifteen percent of all teens reported unwanted sexual solicitation within the year (Ybarra et al., 2005). Another survey given at a college found that twenty-seven percent of undergraduate girls were threatened, blackmailed, or coerced into sending nudes (Snell & Englander, 2010).  A false sense of intimacy online can lull teens into sharing more private information than they typically would in person, which is ideal for an online predator trying to groom a young girl or boy. A study that surveyed 404 middle school students, found that fifteen percent of those students were communicating with older strangers online, and eighty-four percent of those teens met face-to-face with strangers (Hur & Gupta, 2013). Fifteen percent may not seem like much, but this means about 50 middle school kids from a single school were exposed to a high-risk situation.

 As the phrase goes, “there are two sides to every coin.” There are obvious risks to social media use, but there is also a lot of positive potential. Almost everything we do involves some sort of risk, whether it’s commuting to work, using gym equipment, swimming in the ocean, crossing the street, or choosing to trust a friend with a secret. With all things, caution should be practiced, and if there are mental health concerns, there should be limits placed on social media use.  

References

Hur, J., & Gupta, M. (2013). Growing up in the Web of Social Networking: Adolescent Development and Social Media. Adolescent Psychiatry, 3(3), 233-244. doi:10.2174/2210676611303030004

Snell, P., & Englander, E. (2010). Cyberbullying Victimization and Behaviors Among Girls: Applying Research Findings in the Field. Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4), 510-514. doi:10.3844/jssp.2010.510.514

Ybarra, M. L., Alexander, C., & Mitchell, K. J. (2005). Depressive symptomatology, youth Internet use, and online interactions: A national survey. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36(1), 9-18. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2003.10.012