This week I found an article that displayed the function that social media plays in teenagers roles, and how it affects their lives. While there are many downsides of social media, and we will get to those in a moment, there are a few upsides. The article states that social media can create positive; teens who struggle with social skills, anxiety, or have difficulty making friends benefit greatly from social media. Also, when it comes to being in a marginalized group, it’s easier to find like-minded people who can relate to you, if you aren’t surrounded by them in real life.
But on the other hand, the downsides to social media are double. This article states that there can be many negative effects that teenagers have to deal with daily due to social media use. Cyber-bullying, comparison, fake friends, and focusing too much on “likes” are all issues that we see as a result of excessive social media use in teens. These issues dig deeper than surface level, and really take a toll on teenager’s mental health and the way they perceive themselves.
The writer of the article finishes by stating that “there’s a happy medium in here somewhere” and encourages teenagers and to learn how to have a healthy balance between social media and real life engagement. I think that this is good advice, because too much of anything is bad; everything has to be taken in moderation.
Link: https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health
Sophie Rhoads, ser18b.
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 